5 Simple Ways to Beat Your Inner Critic

Our inner critic tries to beat us down every day. Each one of us has struggled with negative thinking. Most of us believe that our dreams are simply out of reach. Negative thinking is a significant barrier, as it tends to escalate and become a self-fulfilling prophecy once it begins.

The first step in conquering any internal criticism is to recognize it. Asking yourself where your inner critic is coming from and why it's acting out at that time can be a good place to start.

You might gain some understanding of why you're being so hard on yourself if you consider your family background, life events, and recent stressors. You can acknowledge criticism if you take the time to stop and figure out where it's coming from. You can also become more aware of the situations you place yourself in.

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Simple Ways to Beat Your Inner Critic

The inner critic is your ongoing abuser, who may frequently appear in your head as follows:

• Opinions of others, frequently of your parents.
• Thoughts you have formed based on your expectations or those of other people.
• Comparing oneself to others, particularly celebrities and public figures.
• Lies you tell yourself after unpleasant events like betrayal and disappointment. Your perception gives rise to self-doubt and self-blame, which in situations of rejection and betrayal are probably unfair.
• Pain, low self-esteem, a lack of self-acceptance, and a lack of self-love are the Inner Critic's driving forces.

While these are powerful and persistent thoughts, there are five simple ways to beat them and enhance your mental health:

1) Stop Engaging

Stop yourself when you notice yourself being critical of yourself, treating yourself disrespectfully, or berating yourself. You can mentally shout "Stop! No!" also, "Enough! I'm in charge right now."

So, in place of whatever negative thinking you have about yourself, think of something positive or affirm something that starts with "I am."

You can change your thought to "I accept myself for who I am," for instance, if it's "I'm such a loser." I'm doing fine and I am enough”. The more we engage with our inner critic, the more power it has over us.

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2) Talk to Yourself as You Would a Friend

Will you say the same thing to your friend? (Image via Pexels/Alexander. Suhorucov)

Write out the precise words you would use to comfort a buddy who was experiencing the same anxious thoughts as you.

You can think of so many different ways to counsel someone, offer them helpful advice, or even just listen. However, sometimes we need to practice this on ourselves.

We need to be incredibly compassionate and kind, and we need to understand that these thoughts aren't true but are instead stemming from genuine fear.

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3) Thinking about Your Younger Self

Embrace your younger self and talk to them. (Image via Freepik/wayhomestudio)

Become your younger self for a moment. This technique is about looking at yourself through the eyes of being younger and being someone who needs a lot of support.

If you imagine yourself as your younger self, you wouldn't necessarily speak badly to yourself. So, someone who might be very young and being creative for the first time, or even your younger self from maybe five years ago when he or she was learning and giving things a shot. You wouldn't be critical of your efforts and would merely find your efforts wonderful.

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4) Identify it As a Brain Hiccup

Many of our self-limiting beliefs are formed in the past and do not reflect our reality. We're also hard wired to assess and criticize ourselves because of the culture and society of competition, evaluation, and judgment.

When you recognize or notice your inner critic speaking, label it as soon as you can. When you acknowledge it as a brain hiccup, you give it permission to pass, and have less control over you. The voice of your inner critic is temporary and doesn't have to lead to permanent effects.

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5) Manage Negative Self-Talk

Ask if there's a better, more empowering way to tell yourself in the same situation. Begin questioning if these thoughts are 100% valid.

Even if we have thousands of thoughts a day, not all of them are facts.

• Identify and write down your beliefs. Being aware of your beliefs can encourage you to think differently about them.
• Combat negative thought patterns with positive affirmations
• Examine the evidence of the belief, and why you engage with it.
• Try out a different belief by reframing the situation.

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Takeaway

All of us possess an inner critic who speaks negatively about us. That voice may be louder, more frequent, and disturbing for certain people.

Counseling can provide you with real power if you don't have a reliable friend or family member to turn to. Your quality of life can be significantly enhanced by acquiring new awareness and control over your critical inner voice.

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Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.

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