How to (Finally) Stop Taking Things So Personally, According to a Psychotherapist
“It’s not personal. It’s just business.” How many times have you heard those words when you were smarting over a job you didn’t get or a pitch that got rejected, or a professional setback or slight? And how often have you found them unhelpful? Maybe it wasn’t meant personally but it feels very personal to you.
But the fact is, we all have to learn not to take things personally if we’re going to be successful in work and in life. And the more we can let disappointments and disparagement roll off our backs rather than letting them pierce us to the heart, the happier and more resilient we’ll be.
How do you get there? In a wise post on the Psychology Today website, psychotherapist Ilene Strauss Cohen offers some great insights into why we take things personally and how to stop. You’ll have to read the full piece to get all her great advice, but here are my favorites among her tips:
