1. Like yourself, for real(s).
According to social psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson (who herself admits to having a problem with defensiveness) the best thing any of us can do to combat our own defensiveness in the face of perceived criticism is to come into the situation with a strong sense of self-worth. The more secure you are in yourself, the more you like yourself, the better able you will be to withstand someone else’s negative opinions of you.
