Description:
The little voice inside of us can have a huge impact on the way it converses with us. When we are too busy being our critic, we lose out on growing our self-esteem and developing a strong sense of self. The inner critic in us constantly keeps on criticising every move, every action, every response and every thought in a negative way, so much so that it hampers the way we think of ourselves. "Tell me: Are you your own worst critic? So many of us are, which is why knowing how to work with, not against your inner critic is so important. Trying to simply push away the voice of your inner critic is not an effective tactic," wrote Therapist Gianna LaLota.
The expert further noted down a five-step process to combat the inner critic in us and explore ways to invest in our own mental and emotional growth.
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Notice it: The first step is to notice the things that the inner critic says about us. The words that we say to ourselves also reflect our deep fears and our traumatic experiences that we have had with ourselves over the years.
Name it: The next step is to segregate the inner criticism from actual thoughts. We should name it as criticism coming from ourselves and know that sometimes it may not be the truth. When we name it, we start the process of avoiding it when it gets too negative for ourselves.
Thank it: When we come from traumatic experiences of failure, judgement and rejection, the inner critic in us starts to get more active in order to save us from the same feelings in the future. Hence, it can start to get too negative. We should thank it for looking out for us and trying to save us from those difficult emotions.
Challenge it: We should be able to challenge the words that the inner critic tells us to understand if it is the truth or not. In case there is no logic to back it up, we should get over it.
Practice self-compassion: Self-compassion is the antidote for inner criticism. Loving ourselves, accepting ourselves the way we are and investing in our happiness can help us to combat the inner critic and become more optimistic in life.
