Silence Your Inner Critic – 13 Ways To Make Peace With Your Inner Critic
Want to know how to silence your inner critic? Here are 13 ways to make peace with your inner critic so you don’t have to listen to that negativity anymore.
Hey my friend,
So here’s the thing: the way you talk to yourself can either build you up or tear you down.
When your inner dialogue is harsh (which is something we should strive to avoid), it’s usually because you’re repeating things you heard from your parents or other authority figures when you were growing up.
While some self-criticism is inevitable, if the criticism goes too far, it can discourage you from even trying and zap the joy right out of your life.
What you need to do is break free from the voices in your head.
Take a look at the following 13 techniques that prove that there’s more than one way to make peace with your inner critic.
Making Friends with Your Inner Critic
Your inner critic will sound less scary if you remember that it wants to protect you from failure and other possible dangers.
In some ways it thinks it is helping you (yes seriously!)
Letting go of your inner critic can feel uncomfortable but it’s in the discomfort that new patterns are born.
Your inner critic is simply reaffirms untruths about yourself that you have internalized to be true but now it’s time to REWRITE THOSE UNTRUTHS!
Why?
Because it’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life.
It’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power (thank you Robert Kiyosaki for those wise words!)
Your inner critic is getting in the way of all those great things which you deserve and are meant to accomplish.
Drown out that negative voice, with a louder, more powerful voice. A voice that believes in you, defends you, encourages you and loves you. Trina Hall
Here’s how to either break up with your inner critic or learn to put your inner critic to work for you instead of against you:
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 1 – Increase awareness.
You may be so used to your inner critic that you hardly think about what it’s saying.
Start changing your relationship by trying to understand what it wants to tell you.
Is the voice helping or hindering your life?
Is it speaking the truth?
Become aware of the negative self-talk and listen in with curiosity and compassion instead of guilt and shame. Elise Museles
When it comes to your inner critic, my advice is not to take advice from someone who doesn’t like you. That’s like returning to the perpetrator for healing after you’ve been abused. Patrick Califia
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 2 – Look back.
What’s your first memory of your inner critic?
Does it sound like a particular person from your past?
What are the sorts of things they are telling you to do or not do?
There may be family issues or other matters that you need to heal before you can move on.
Winning the war of words inside your soul means learning to defy your inner critic. Steven Furtick.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 3 – Focus on growth.
Maybe your inner voice says you’re bad at math because you failed a test in the third grade. In reality, you’re not stuck in your past.
Adopt a growth mindset that enables you to become whatever you want as long as you’re willing to put in the work to get there.
If you gave your inner genius as much credence as your inner critic, you would be light years ahead of where you now stand. Alan Cohen
The hardest battle you are ever going to have to fight is the battle to be just you. Leo Buscaglia
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 4 – Aim higher.
You may also find your inner critic easier to deal with if you keep a deeper purpose in mind.
When you’re working for something bigger than yourself, you can accept your self-doubts without being overcome by them.
Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life. Anne Lamott
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 5 – Try meditation.
Many adults find that meditation helps them to make their self-talk more comforting and motivating.
Give yourself permission to let go of judgements and connect with your inner goodness.
Silencing Your Inner Critic
On the other hand, there are times when you just need a break.
If your self-talk is making you anxious and depressed, you can find relief.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 6 – Seek distractions.
Shift your attention elsewhere.
Take a walk or read a book.
Spend some time doing anything that you enjoy.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 7 – Distance yourself.
Turn down the volume by imagining that your inner critic is speaking to someone else instead of you.
Take any statement and replace the personal pronouns with a funny name.
It’s easy for your inner critic to rear its ugly head. We want to punish ourselves. Lisa Mininni
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 8 – Identify triggers.
Give yourself advance warning.
Figure out the situations where your inner critic is likely to appear.
You may be sensitive about first dates or criticism from your boss.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 9 – List your strengths.
If you’re tired of hearing about your weaknesses, remember your strengths.
Make a list of the things you’re good at from cooking to writing or dance.
We all have something we are good at, a gift we were born with – we just need to discover it.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 10 – Correct exaggerations.
Your house won’t be condemned because you were too busy to vacuum for a few days.
Keep things in perspective by ensuring that your self-talk is accurate.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 11 – Use affirmations.
Repeating positive affirmations can give you a boost when you’re feeling down.
Browse online for ideas or invent your own wording.
Once you become consciously aware of just how powerful your thoughts are, you will realize everything in your life is exactly how you allow it to be.
It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen. Muhammad Ali
The mind is everything. What you think you become. Buddha
I feed my spirit. I train my body. I focus my mind. It’s my time.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 12 – Remember your worth. Being tough on yourself erodes your self-esteem.
Remind yourself that you deserve to be happy and successful.
You are not your mistakes.
They are what you did; not who you are.
And your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.
If you are searching for that one person that will change your life, take a look in the mirror.
SILENCE YOUR INNER CRITIC
TIP # 13 – Build support.
While you need to value yourself, it helps to have others in your corner too.
Surround yourself with family and friends who make you feel positive about yourself and your opportunities.
In the end, you can and will make peace with your inner critic.
Take control of your self-talk and your future.
Treat yourself with compassion and keep striving to reach your full potential.
You can do it – I know you can!
Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens. Louise l. Hay
Don’t change your self-criticism habit. Change your habitual reactions to self-criticism. Yong Kang Chan
Don’t be a victim of your thoughts. Darlene Lancer
Our reaction to self-criticism is more important than the self-criticism itself. Paying attention to our reactions is very important because the only thing we have control over is how we react. Yong Kang Chan
We are harder on ourselves than we are on anyone else. Anne Burton
So there you have it!
If you’re introverted, congratulations!
Please don’t think you have to change in order to have success in this world or live a beautiful meaningful life.
Being an introvert has in fact many advantages over extroversion.
Rather than wishing you were more outgoing, embrace the power that introversion provides.
You can be successful in many ways that are much more challenging for the average extrovert.
So go out there and embrace your introvertedness!
Introverts, the world needs you and it needs the things you carry. So I wish you the best of all possible journeys and the courage to speak softly. Susan Cain
Wishing you the best of luck with silencing that inner critic voice.
Much love,
Frances Vidakovic xx
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With a degree in psychology, Frances Vidakovic is a certified life coach, course creator and host of the Inspiring Life Podcast. Her superpower is transforming dreamers into doers with simple, kick-up-the-butt strategies.
