It helps to keep in mind that other people usually don’t criticize us with the intention of doing harm. Rather, people criticize us for the same reasons we criticize them. They want to be helpful and contribute to our betterment. Or we have a trait, quality, or behavior that bothers them and so affects our relationship, and they really do need to talk about it. They may think the relationship can’t move forward if we don’t consider our behavior and apologize.
