Put Your Inner Critic In A Time Out for Bad Behavior!
We all have that little voice inside of our heads that just beats us up inside for the smallest things. It keeps us awake at night, rerunning conversations or scenarios, thinking of things we “should have” said or done and basically driving us nuts with guilt. Well, as you might have guessed, my inner critic has been really loud lately and I have decided that she needs to go away for a time out until she can behave.
Now, I am going to say something that you may not agree with here, but I have to tell you at this moment, I know it is the truth… inner critics can be trained to help you. Yes, they can. You see, I have been here before and I know how to do this.
When we are about to transition into a higher level of responsibility or success, our inner critic doesn’t like it because they actually want to protect us. So, they shout out as loud as they can all of the things that they can think of to prevent us from moving forward.
And you know what, I say, “Screw you, inner critic! I am moving forward no matter what you say because I am putting you on mute!”
Yes, I am putting that sassy little critic in a time out so she can settle down, let me do my thang and learn to give me some positive feedback. You see, we need to train our inner critics to be nice to us and to respect us, just like we would train our husbands, our friends or our children. If they can’t behave, they can’t get any of our attention. However, once we realize that this little voice is actually trying to help us, it just becomes a matter of training that voice to be kind and noticing when that voice is coming from fear (which is usually the case).
No one is perfect so we can’t expect ourselves to be. The inner critic is just part of the package and once you learn how to tame that little beast, you will find it much easier to make the leaps and bounds in your personal and professional progress.
Here are three things you can do to put your inner critic in her place:
- Recognize that this little voice is not based in reality and that it is the part of you that is afraid of change and imperfection.
- Don’t beat yourself up over anything that this little bugger says or over the fact that you have this voice nagging at you.
- Make a conscious decision to express gratitude for your inner critic (who really is trying to help) while also being firm with this little voice that if she can’t play nice, she can’t play at all. And then turn on music, breath deeply and let it go!
If you find that your inner critic is raging out of control, you may want to consider finding a life coach or a therapist to help you find a place of peace and inner quiet. The truth is, no one can be truly happy with an inner critic who hasn’t been tamed. And if you are someone who has tamed this little nuisance, please feel free to share your stories and tips in the comments, you lucky duck!
