Receiving compliments is nice. But many people find it difficult to respond to them correctly.
They begin to feel embarrassed, make excuses, or even refuse praise.
Victoria Nagornaya explains why this happens.
3 Reasons Why It's Hard to Accept Compliments
1. Low self-esteem and self-doubt. People with low self-esteem do not believe in their value, their importance, and that they deserve nice words addressed to them. When they receive a compliment, it contradicts their internal sense of self and causes discomfort.
2. Social attitudes and upbringing. In our society, modesty and self-criticism are still valued more than recognition of one's own merits. From childhood, many are taught that praising oneself is indecent, and accepting praise means showing pride, egoism, and arrogance.
3. Mistrust of the sincerity of a compliment. Some people may have difficulty believing the truthfulness of compliments. They suspect that there may be some ulterior motive behind the praise.
Step-by-step plan: how to learn to accept compliments
Let's figure out how to make sure that pleasant words are received with confidence and gratitude.
Step 1: Recognize the problem
Analyze why you have difficulty accepting compliments. Write down your thoughts and feelings about it. This will help you understand the roots of the problem and begin working on eliminating them.
Step 2: Change your attitude towards compliments
Compliments are not just words, but a manifestation of attention and recognition of your merits. People can admire your appearance, your work, your character, charisma, your achievements. And if they tell you about it, then you deserve it.
Step 3: Learn to be grateful
Instead of making excuses or refusing a compliment, try saying "thank you." It's a simple but effective way to show your appreciation.
Step 4: Work on your self-esteem
Compliments are easier to accept when you are confident in yourself and your merits. Work on your self-esteem: engage in self-development, devote time to self-realization and achieving your goals in different areas of life.
Step 5: Practice
Here are some psychological exercises that can help you.
- Compliment Journal: Write down every compliment you receive and how you feel about it. This will help you see how many nice words you receive and will gradually change your attitude towards them.
- Mirror. Stand in front of a mirror and say out loud the compliments you would like to receive. At first, you may feel awkward, but over time, you will get used to hearing pleasant words about yourself.
- Feedback: Ask people close to you what they see as your strengths. This will help you learn more about yourself and learn to accept praise.
Earlier we talked about what things you need to hide from others .
