The key to dealing with criticism from your parents without letting it get to you

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Relationships


The key to dealing with criticism from your parents without letting it get to you

By Charley Ross

3 months ago

6 min read

From our looks to our lifestyle choices, many of us know all too well what it’s like to be picked apart by our parents. So how should we react when the criticism still comes well into adulthood?  

Trigger warning: this article contains a reference to eating disorders, which some readers might find upsetting.

Our parents may have seemed like the oracle of all life knowledge when we were really young. But once we grow up, and become convinced that we know what’s what, parental guidance can begin to feel more like actual criticism of how we live our lives.

Whether they pick away at your choice of job, relationship or your appearance, research has found that having highly critical parents can affect the child in question’s future relationships, as well as increasing their risk of suffering from anxiety and depression.

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