Three Ways To Silence Your Inner Critic Starting Today!
Oftentimes, it seems that we all indulge in negative self talk. Whether it’s purposely done by way of insecurity or just happens from deep-routed unconsciousness, the inner critic is someone we are all familiar with. It’s the voice that tells you that you “can’t” do something, or if you do something, you didn’t do it “good enough”.
Remember the bully from school who just thrived off the attention he/she got from mocking others? Your inner critic only thrives from the attention you give it. So to stop the critic, you need to stop allowing the negative self talk. Sure it is easier said than done, but that’s why we’ve rounded up three articles to help you get on a more positive track.
Learn To Confront The Thoughts.
In an article written on Tiny Buddha, it states that the best way to deal with your inner critic is by confronting it. To do this, you can respond to it by saying: “So what!” or “Who cares?” As a result, reminding yourself that at its core, all it’s doing is working against you and building on your fears.
For more tips on confronting your demons, read the article here.
Realize Your Worth.
Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself? Our guess is probably not, and if you did, you’d end up with a small group of acquaintances (if any at all). Which makes us wonder why talking down to ourselves is common place. In an article by Psychology Today, the author provides tactical steps to stop yourself from hating on yourself. Our favorite? Their suggestion at changing the conversation from “I’m useless” to “You’re useless”. In assigning second person to the critic, it makes you realize that most of what you say may be coming from harsh criticisms you heard growing up. It’ll help break the cycle or at least lead to realizations.
Read the four other steps here.
Back Up Your Actions; Limit Your Words.
One of the easiest ways to beat negative self talk, is by acting, instead of listening. If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle, but find it nearly impossible to get to the gym since you always find excuses against it…reduce your words and replace them with actions. This helpful article from MindBodyGreen shares tips on how to actually make getting to the gym a reality. AKA getting out of your mind.
Check it out here.
While these are just three ways to deal with your inner critic, there are many other ones to constructively deal with problems or fears. One of the easiest is to practice gratitude–towards yourself and loved ones. It’s been shown that gratitude can invoke self worth and lead to happiness. We suggest meditating on the things you are grateful for and wholly accept them. While engaging in this, you may find it helpful to add a bit of aromatherapy into the routine. Our favorite scent to mediate with is our Mental Clarity Blend. The aroma will clear your mind and energize your spirits for a positive self-talk session.
Have your own suggestions to conquer the Inner Critic? Tell us below!