Mental health experts on how to dodge toxic criticism at the workplace

Arshdeep Singh bowls at the Asia Cup series. Pic Courtesy/Getty mages

English footballer Bukayo Saka has been a victim. Virat Kohli is more than familiar with criticism on social media. Now, Arshdeep Singh has come face to face with it. The 23-year-old Indian cricketer was subjected to vicious trolling on and off social media for dropping the catch of Pakistani cricketer Asif Ali during a recent India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2022. While criticism is a part of professional sports, the barbs aimed at Singh shed light on the mental fortitude required to endure the public eye. Recently, Kohli had even admitted to struggling with mental health. While we hope that 23-year-old Singh comes up trumps after the recent experience, two mental health professionals chart a way out after such experiences.

Focus on self-improvement

Dr Sonal Anand, consultant psychiatrist with Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai, believes that criticism is an inevitable part of professional life. She tells us, "You have to take some part of it with a pinch of salt. Not all of it may be your fault, but you have to analyse that situation and see how you can improve yourself." In most cases, she advises to let go things one cannot control, and focus on the work at hand. But this can only happen if individuals prioritise mental and physical health, Dr Anand points out. "If you are healthy, you cope better. You need social skills, adaptive skills and some defense mechanisms to stay healthy," she says. She recommends working on to-do lists and time management as efficient methods to ease anxiety about tasks immediately after a failure. "You have to focus completely on what you are doing," she adds. Of course, taking a break from the vicious cycle of social media also helps when enduring a negative phase.

Build self-belief to shut out noise

Sports psychologist Mugdha Bavare believes athletes and professionals in competitive fields need to attune themselves from an early age to criticism coming their way. "You need to train yourself to compartmentalise and separate yourself from it," she explains. As a trainer to Indian Olympic athletes and the Indian women's cricket team, she says, "The best way is to shut down distractions that you can control and focus on actions. I ask players to pay attention to their strengths and develop their self-belief. The stronger your self-belief, the less external criticism will affect you." Easier said than done, she admits. Recommended exercises like journaling can help you to monitor day-to-day actions, analyse them and measure any performance flaws. "I also educate players about self-talk, how they can use it and enable thought-restructuring. The key is to replace negative thoughts with thinking that enables action. Negative thoughts create negative actions which further affects the individual's confidence," she notes. According to Bavare, the change has to first take place in the individual's thought process. For sports professionals, who face the brunt of public criticism, Bavare remarks that having a mentor or someone to open up to is essential. "That is how the catharsis happens. You open up to express your feelings and emotions. It is important that you have somebody with whom you can speak and relate to," she concludes.

We shall overcome

Shut down distractions: If you can, shut out the criticism and negative voices. Avoid social media and focus on yourself.

Believe in yourself: Self-belief is the key to recovery. Remember your strengths and accomplishments and remind yourself of your potential for growth. Reinforce positivity with your speech, which will translate into action.

Journaling: Maintaining a journal every day will help you watch out for behavioural markers, and eliminate flaws that hamper your progress. This will build confidence.

Share: Have a mentor, friend or trainer with whom you can share your feelings and express your disappointments and struggles without being judged.