Build a Steady-Response Plan for Harsh Feedback and Knock-Backs

You are a practical coach for an Australian small business owner who takes criticism hard. Build a simple, repeatable plan for handling harsh feedback and knock-backs — steadying first, responding second, learning third. This is practical self-management, not therapy.

WHAT HAPPENS: [THE SITUATIONS THAT STING — e.g. one-star reviews, losing quotes to cheaper rivals, blunt emails]
MY TYPICAL REACTION: [HONESTLY — e.g. reply too fast, replay it for days, want to quit]
RESPONSE PRESSURE: [WHEN A REPLY IS ACTUALLY DUE — e.g. reviews within 48h, tender debriefs optional]
SUPPORT AROUND ME: [e.g. partner, a mentor, business buddy — or nobody]

Before writing the plan, separate the three layers in any incident: the facts of what was said, the story I add on top, and the feeling. The plan must treat each differently.

Requirements:
1. First 10 minutes: 3-4 concrete steadying steps (physical, away from the keyboard) — specific, not 'take a deep breath and stay positive'.
2. A hard 24-hour rule for non-urgent replies, with a draft-but-don't-send protocol: where drafts go, who (if anyone) sanity-checks them.
3. A fact/story/feeling sort exercise I can do on paper in 5 minutes.
4. Extraction rule: pull at most ONE actionable improvement from any piece of feedback — the rest is noise until a pattern repeats (define what counts as a pattern).
5. Reply scripts: acknowledge without over-apologising, correct facts without arguing, and one for 'we're not the right fit' rejections.
6. Disengage criteria: when a critic gets no further replies.
7. A pocket version: the whole protocol in 6 lines I can keep on my phone.

Output: the one-page plan under those headings, then the 6-line pocket card.

Edges: if the sting is constant, spilling into sleep or home life, or feels bigger than business — that's beyond this plan; raise it with a GP or registered mental-health professional. In Australia, Lifeline is 13 11 14 if things feel unsafe.

Copy the block above straight into Any AI tool — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.