26/04/2026
"Talking to Francesca Rudkin and Louise Ayrey on The Little Things podcast, psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald says the key to navigating midlife criticism is to look beyond what’s being said, and focus on where it’s coming from.
“I think what’s really important with this is to think about the relationship, so where the criticism is coming from and who the criticism or negative feedback’s coming from,” he says.
He suggests asking yourself is the person having a bad day, being thoughtless, or being deliberately mean?
“So that first one … is someone who might just actually be in a bad place themselves … it’s actually about trying to recognise that what’s going on for them is theirs, and I don’t have to pick that up,” he says.
“If it’s thoughtlessness, that’s a little bit more tricky, particularly if it’s a relationship that matters because then it’s about actually trying to let the other person know what they might not be thinking about or might not have in their mind about us that has meant that they’ve lashed out in some way.
“And if it’s someone who is just mean by nature, then it’s kind of the easiest one right? It’s like they’re gone.”
The comments that tend to linger are often the ones that hit close to home."
When you're at capacity, criticism can push you over the edge.
