Feedback Thoughts: The Source of My Anxiety

Anxiety by Topher McCulloch

It is funny that this topic would come up when it did. Today I asked a friend to review some scholarship essays I wrote for the CASH Scholarships. I was nervous about submitting, but I didn't actually think she would say anything bad about my essays. Low and behold... she had a lot of stuff to correct! I was mad she gave me the help I asked for. What the heck is wrong with me? I didn't like feeling like I was bad at something. For this exact reason, I decided I needed to learn 5 Tips For Taking Feedback Like a Champ.

In this article, I quickly realized it matched my situation perfectly. I didn't want to feel bad or uncomfortable. My friend had my best interest in mind, but all I could see was that she thought my work wasn't good enough. Furthermore, I am not a bad writer. My essays could just be better. With her pointing out what needed to change, I was having trouble seeing that she didn't think it was totally terrible. Ultimately, she just wanted to help me get some money and I was bitter the whole time. I wish I hadn't procrastinated this assignment so I would have had these feedback tips before I asked someone in real life for feedback... my flaws seem to be piling up in this one.

The next article I read was Eight Things Students Should Do When They Make a Mistake. I chose this article because I hate failing and I hate being less than exceptional. Even if my work is turned in right before a deadline, I aim for it to be quality material. With my fellow peers getting ready to start criticizing my work, I am anxious I am going to have a hard time correcting my mistakes, so this article seems like a goldmine. As I mentioned earlier, I can tend to return feedback with bitterness and snappiness. I don't mean to be cranky, but the whole situation makes me feel tense. This article showed me that I just need to change how I am thinking about it. Feedback is given because the giver wants me to do better, not because they want to point out how horrible I am. I can't put my anxiety on other people just because they were willing to offer me advice. Furthermore, I need to value my own work. If I want to be exceptional, I need to be willing to take advice and improve my work.