Stress is one of the recurring ailments of the human mind. However, we can be highly critical of others when stressed out. So, how to stop being critical to others under stress? Let’s find out.
Anger, frustration, and tension all trigger unnecessary problems when we are under high amounts of stress, which overwhelms us every time we are unable to handle things effectively.
We criticize people in many different ways, either by constructive criticism, which is for the benefit of a person or group, or destructive criticism, which is nothing but a person venting his problems or trying to put someone down in response.
Now, I believe that under stress, we are more likely to engage in destructive criticism that sees nothing but itself. However, it is not aimed at putting others down or neglecting the lesser people.
Rather it is just a coping mechanism to deal with the overwhelming stress that gets difficult to manage when things pile up continuously.
I had frequent episodes of anger and frustration, which is very unhealthy and can turn into a rage in rare cases. Besides, I wasn’t very good at dealing with my critical feelings towards others.
However, one of my friends suggested me to follow a strict rule or guideline to manage stress and effectively and deal with my problems without being so critical about things.
Here, I am going to discuss,
“How to stop being so critical to everyone in stress?”
So, let’s dive in.
Why do we get critical of others under stress?
Exactly. This is the most important question.
“Why do we get critical of others under stress?”
Well, no one wants to be critical of others unless he has a grudge against someone. When we are too busy dealing with our emotions, things can get out of control, and soon we find ourselves in a mess that is difficult to sort out.
But things do not end here as our irrational thinking clouds our judgments and forces us to take unpredictable actions.
The stress causes anger and frustration that gets piled up until we reach the limits of our patience. Then, all of a sudden, these negative emotions force us to use criticism as a weapon to deal with stress.
So, “Why do we get critical of others under stress?”
Well, there are many reasons behind it, but three of them are the most important which we are going to discuss here.
1. They desire a medium to express anger and manage stress:
Normally the anger and stress management is necessary to deal with our critical behavior towards others. But it is not easy to express anger without a medium.
This happens mostly in areas where multitasking is the norm, and the task is to be done within the stipulated time. With many problems around and the absence of a medium, one ends up shouting, yelling, and criticizing others.
They strongly need and desire alone time to deal with their critical feelings.
2. Not having enough time and resources:
The need for time and space is important, no matter whether it is a workplace or a relationship.
When we feel too limited and tied down to responsibilities, we forget to take care of ourselves in this process and end up sabotaging our relationships with people. Moreover, we get angry easily over petty issues and make them a big of a mess.
Therefore, not having enough time and resources makes it impossible to deal with critical feelings.
3. Too busy berating ourselves for faults and imperfections:
Nothing is as complex as the inner critic blaming us for our fault and imperfections. Most people are too emotional to ignore their inner critic and apply their mindset to their goals.
So, as emotional beings, when our inner critic blames us for being too weak and submissive in dealing with life matters, we try to ignore it as much as possible. However, fear and insecurities build up inside, and they are released in the form of sarcasm and critical words.
We should not berate or criticize ourselves when we are wrong about things, especially with our faults and imperfections.
So, we have discussed the reasons why we have critical feelings toward others.
But, “How to stop being so critical to everyone in stress?”
Let’s find out.
How to stop being so critical to everyone under stress?
You must have experienced stress to various degrees. It disturbs our inner peace and calmness. But, a common observation is that it is normal to show criticism to other people when your inner peace is disturbed.
To foster a good work environment as well as relationships, we have to stop being so critical to others. In other words, we have to find out ways to deal with these negative feelings that affect our behavior and psychology.
Here are 5 simple and practical ways to stop being so critical to everyone under stress.
1. Try to change your environment:
Often the reason for stress is your environment. Sometimes our environment affects us, indirectly with everyone being stressed out or critical around us.
A simple approach would be to get out of such an environment and go somewhere peaceful and calm with enough time to think through things. Make it your top priority to not hurt others even if you are angry or frustrated.
It helps in dealing with stress effectively and helps us maintain mental and emotional resilience.
2. Practice mindfulness and meditate regularly:
Most of the problems due to stress arise when we think too much about many things at a time. We are too busy sorting out things in our head that it takes a huge toll on our mental health.
But, the best solution to deal with it is to start practicing mindfulness and meditate regularly. Make it a habit to spare some of your time to meditate or practice dream yoga.
Mindfulness and meditation are effective in dealing with stress and helps in dealing with people as calmly as possible.
3. Stop overanalyzing everything:
One of the most important reasons behind stress is overanalyzing and overthinking.
But, “How?”
Well, when we are too busy thinking about various possibilities and stressing ourselves needlessly over petty issues, we stop acting with a sound mind, thereby making ourselves miserable and frustrated.
Hence, we must stop overthinking and overanalyzing if we want to deal with stress and critical feelings towards others.
4. Talk it out with a friend:
One of the best ways to deal with criticism and stress is to talk it out with a friend who has the ability to empathize with you and understand your problems. It is effective in the case of relationships where people can become too critical towards each other.
But, the problem is that we have no one to listen to. Therefore, we need a friend who can guide and advise us with simple ways to deal with our problems. Now, he doesn’t even have to be a counselor or something, just a friend helping another friend.
So, if you want to stop being so critical, then talk it out with a friend.
5. Lastly, empathize with others:
Empathy is the best weapon to slay the beast of stress. If you want to stop being so critical of others, practice empathy. Especially, cognitive empathy.
Empathy is the way to understand the reason behind anger and frustration. For instance, when we criticize others to release the excessive stress on our heads, it hurts the other person emotionally and mentally.
But, if you can empathize with him at that moment and realize the way it would feel if you were in his place, you will instantly stop criticizing him.
Hence, empathy is great as far as you can use it wisely and deal with stress and negative feelings.
Final Words:
To sum up, when things go out of hand with negative feelings and stress, and you start yelling and unintentionally criticizing others, then try to understand the possible reasons behind it.
After that, if you want to stop being so critical of others, then use the above simple and effective ways to overcome the feelings of anger and frustration, thereby being calm and peaceful with others.