Written by: Moira Hutchison, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever been about to do something, and then suddenly, that voice inside your head starts chattering away?
Why did you do that? You are a terrible person. You don’t know what you are doing. You will never achieve anything in life.
That negative voice inside your head that judges criticizes, or demeans you is your inner critic. Your inner critic plays a critical role in how you see yourself and your levels of self-esteem.
When you don’t know how to deal with your inner critic, you can feel ashamed, worthless, or low on self-esteem.
Your inner critic might undermine your every accomplishment. Or it might show up as you enter a room of people you have never met before. That harsh inner critic can lead to self-doubt and a lack of confidence.
When you let your inner critic control too many of your actions, it holds you back from things like personal growth, opportunity, connection, and your full potential.
Even though the way we think influences how we behave, those thoughts we have are not always true!! If someone feels insecure and believes no one wants to talk to them, how charismatic do you think they will be in social settings?
Top tips for dealing with your inner critic and taking control of your life:
1. Acknowledge and understand.
When negative thoughts come up, acknowledge your thoughts. Try to understand the source of where your thoughts are coming from, you can use these prompts to help:
How old do I feel right now?
What is making me feel this way?
What are some patterns I recognize?
Where do these thoughts come from?
How do these thoughts affect my behavior?
2. What advice would you give a friend?
If a friend came to you in the same situation as you feel, what advice would you give to them? Many times, we are harder upon ourselves than we are on others.
3. Separate facts from feelings.
Your brain might be hardwired to think that no one wants to talk to you or that you are a bad person. But is that a fact? Practice sorting through facts and your feelings.
What is another, more positive way you could look at the situation?
4. Practice self-acceptance and self-compassion.
Replace negative or critical thoughts with acceptance and compassionate ones. Have a selection of empowering, compassionate beliefs that you can tell yourself instead of succumbing to negative ones.
5. Write down positive thoughts.
When your inner critic comes out, what is it saying? How can you challenge your inner critic?
Write downtimes in your life when people have said positive things about you.
Focus on your strengths and what you are good at.
6. Distract yourself when you start replaying mistakes in your head.
Have you ever made a mistake and replayed those moments repeatedly? That certainly does not resolve the issue. If you find you are ruminating instead of actively problem-solving, distract yourself from those thoughts.
Go for a walk.
Read a book.
Stretch your body
Meditate or do a breathing exercise.
7. Remind yourself that everyone has an inner critic.
Having an inner critic is a human function. It comes from the parts of our brain that evolved to protect ourselves. If you find yourself in a loop of critical thoughts, remind yourself that every human experiences self-doubt at one point or another.
Your inner critic does not have to control your life! Taking the preceding steps to silence your inner critic and nurture a more empowering inner dialogue can help you grow and expand your horizons.
There is a difference between that judging voice telling you that you are not good enough and wanting to improve yourself. Use the tips above to silence your inner critic so you can reach your full potential.
For more information and tips on accessing your inner guidance to align with YOUR best success, follow Moira on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, join her Facebook Community, or visit her website!
Moira Hutchison, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine
As an Intuition Cultivator and Mindset Mentor, Moira Hutchison guides her clients to access the inherent power they have available when they ignite their personal trinity of trust, inner awareness, and self-confidence. Moira works with professionals who feel that there is something better in life for them, but they have no idea how to access it. However, they have a yearning to be guided by their intuition and align with their unique calling. What makes her distinctive and different in this work is that she has developed the ability to take complex energetic, and spiritual ideas and interpret them in ways that people find easy to understand, integrate and implement.
