As you get better at slowing things down and noticing what’s going on in your mind and body, you can begin to sort through your reactions. You’ll get better at distinguishing your emotions from the story you tell about the feedback, and distinguishing both of these from what the feedback giver actually said. Whether you do this sorting during the conversation or on reflection afterward, “separating the strands” is crucial to winding back the distortions that creep into your interpretation of the feedback.
