If you have recognized the criticism as completely destructive and hurtful, then you can think about why the person might have said such a thing to make yourself feel better. Maybe the girl was jealous of your new outfit and said you dress like a skank. Maybe a guy said you're not a good writer because he's jealous that you just published a story. Maybe the person was just in a bad mood and felt like taking it out on someone. Whatever the reason, remind yourself that it had little to do with who you are. Put yourself in the person's shoes. Understand where he is really coming from. Though the words will still sting, it might make you feel better. If your coworker yelled at you for no reason, but you remember that he is going through a divorce, then you'll start to be a bit more understanding, won't you? Okay, so maybe the criticism was delivered in a way that was completely mean, unnecessary, and hurtful, and most of the things that were said were way off base. Maybe your co-worker said you were "a complete mess" or your friend said you were "totally selfish" for what you think was no reason at all. Take a minute to think about it, though: do you need to brush up on your organizational skills? Have you been known to be a little selfish from time to time? If so, then maybe you should reconsider your actions without getting hurt by the way the criticism was given. Sure, it's very hard to take someone seriously if they are yelling at you, calling you names, or generally treating you with completely disrespect. This makes it nearly impossible to take a word they say seriously. But if you want to be the bigger person, try to find the underlying message if there is one. What was that thing your mother told you about "sticks and stones" not being able to break your bones? Sure, you thought it was stupid in third grade, but now, you're a lot older, and it's starting to make sense. In the end, destructive criticism isn't made up of bullets, swords, or atomic bombs -- it's just a series of words connected together in a way designed to make you feel terrible. So, remind yourself that criticism only consists of a bunch of words. Criticism can't steal your money, slap you across the face, or crash your car. So don't let it get to you. The most important thing you can do is maintain your confidence. No matter what people are saying about you, you have to stay strong, remember who you are, and not let other people influence your own self-worth. Being confident doesn't mean thinking that you're flawless, but it does mean loving who you are and how you look. If you're truly confident, then you won't let haters get you down and make you think less of yourself.  If you're unhappy with who you are, ask yourself why. Make a list of a few things you don't like about yourself and figure out what you can change. Being confident also means accepting the things you cannot change about yourself. So, you don't like that you're so tall. Do you plan on slouching for the rest of your life, or will you start to love your long legs after all? Hanging out with people who make you feel good about yourself will also go a long way in making you feel more confident. If you're hanging with people who always bring you down, then yeah, you're not going to feel good about yourself. So...you've heard that someone said you're a brown-noser. Will you start participating less in class? Or your co-worker has told you you're too type A. Are you going to stop being who you are if it's working for you? Of course not. If you haven't received a valid criticism and know that what people are telling you is only only being said because of jealousy, anger, or mean-spiritedness, then there's no need to change your routine to please people.  If the criticism has no basis whatsoever, then the best thing you can do is to ignore it completely.  Don't feel bad if you're not able to push all of these negative words aside right away. It takes practice to stop caring about what people think.
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One-sentence summary -- Understand the person's true motives. Look for the grain of truth. Remember that words can never hurt you. Stay confident. Keep doing what you're doing.


You can choose soft brush to avoid creating edges around your photo. Once it's done, exit Quick Mask mode and return to normal mode. You can see selection in your photo now. Then, go to Channel Panel and create new channel. Fill the selection with white. Go to Select > Deselect (or Ctrl+D) to deselect. Go back to your Layers Panel. The Lens Blur window will appear. Change the Depth Map. Click on the dropdown button and choose Alpha1 and hit OK button.
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One-sentence summary -- Go to Quick Mask Mode (or press Q). Use Brush to select the areas you want to blur. Exit Quick Mask mode. Create new channel. Deselect. Go to Filter > Blur > Lens Blur. Save your file.


Form a cup so that the air you breathe out through your mouth has nowhere to go but into your nose. Breathe out, slowly, from your mouth, and quickly inhale the hot breath through your nose. If your breath is especially rank, you may be able to tell – but the air can quickly escape through the cracks between your fingers, and it's difficult to get a precise diagnosis using this method. It is, however, one of the most discreet ways to check for bad breath in public. Take a deep breath, and then hold the cup so that it covers both your nose and your mouth, with minimal ventilation, so you can get a close to accurate answer. Breathe out through your mouth, slowly, filling the cup with hot breath. Inhale quickly and deeply through your nose--you should be able to smell your breath.  This step may be slightly more accurate than merely cupping your hands around your nose and mouth, but its accuracy is heavily dependent upon how tightly the cup seals in your breath. You can try this out with any container that traps your breath in a circuit between your nose and your mouth: a small paper or plastic bag, a tight-fitting surgical mask, or any manner of air-retentive face-mask. Be sure to rinse out the cup before breathing into it again. Wash it with soap and water before storing it or using it for anything else. Avoid trying these methods directly after you've brushed your teeth, swished with mouthwash, or eaten something minty. These things may make your breath smell better, but the way your breath smells immediately after brushing your teeth is not necessarily the way that it smells most of the time. Try smelling your breath at various times--right after brushing your teeth, but also in the middle of the day, when you're most likely to encounter people--to better understand the difference. Bear in mind that your breath may smell bad after eating a spiced meal
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One-sentence summary --
Cover your mouth and nose with both of your hands. Breathe into a clean plastic cup or container. Get an accurate reading.