Navigating Your Inner Critic to Find Your Authentic Voice
The inner critic is often considered your worst enemy, the voice that criticizes every move you make. It may fill your mind with limiting beliefs, which are toxic ideas that create barriers in your personal and professional life. The inner critic may affect how you perceive yourself, making you question your capabilities and intelligence. While the voice has a negative reputation for planting seeds of self-doubt, it’s not inherently bad.
The inner critic’s purpose is to protect you and keep you safe.
However, the guidance may manifest itself in negative ruminating thoughts. When you’re feeling down or insecure, your inner critic will remind you of past failures. It may say:
- You’re not good enough
- You don’t have what it takes to be successful
- You’re going to fail
If these thoughts sound familiar, chances are your inner voice was attempting to break your confidence down and shield you from failure or humiliation. Although these thoughts may seem fleeting, they can turn into a constant cycle, cementing them into firm beliefs.
Many people don’t realize they’re experiencing a flood of negativity from their inner critic because they hear it every day. This normalizes statements and makes it challenging to decipher your truth.
Is the Inner Critic All Bad?
The simple answer: no. When it senses danger, it acts as a fire alarm to protect you from harm. However, at times, it goes overboard with negativity. That’s why turning inward and reflecting on your truths is vital.
The inner critic also doesn’t work alone. As humans, we have a negatively biased brain, our reptilian (survival) brain, which means that positivity doesn’t come naturally to us. Fortunately, positive psychology is attainable with the support of a coach and/or hypnotherapist who can guide you towards the life you want to live and how you want to feel.
The Origin of the Inner Critic
Although we have a negatively biased brain, the inner critic may originate from past trauma, which can trace as far back as childhood. Trauma is an emotional response to an event that occurred in your life and can cause depression, anxiety, and limiting beliefs.
For instance, if a parent told you that you weren’t good enough or you weren’t worthy, you may accept this insult and believe it to be true throughout your life’s journey. The inner critic is a reflection of this trauma.
As you grow older, the voices of your past may interweave with your voice. It may be difficult for you to perceive if a thought is sincere, even when it comes from a place of toxicity.
Revisiting trauma with regression therapy can be a beneficial approach for assessing the voice, recognizing the harm it caused you, and reprogramming your subconscious mind. When you take time to heal, you can separate their voice from yours and tap into your authentic-self.
How Your Inner Critic Affects You in the Present
Your inner critic is meant to act as a compass, but sometimes it creates hindrances on your journey, making it challenging for you to grow and flourish in your life.
For example, if you have an upcoming client meeting, your inner critic may say you’re not experienced enough or warn you of repeating past mistakes. These toxic thoughts impose insecurities.
As hypothetical situations fill your mind, you may experience stress and anxiety. This is the inner critic’s way of protecting you through self-sabotage. However, contemplating internal attacks can lead you to spiral, give up, and not believe in yourself.
Instead, you need to take your power back and break free from the inner critic.
What’s the Solution to the Inner Critic?
If you’re experiencing obsessive ruminating thoughts, you can address the inner critic by:
- Stopping the ruminating by saying “stop” or “go away”
- Taking a breath
- Shifting to self-talk
Tell the inner critic to “stop” or “go away.” This is not a request, but rather a demand, allowing you to take charge of your thoughts. Just like you would to an intruder in your personal space, do not allow the thought to move in and take over.
Next, ground yourself. You want to be in a calm and controlled state because engaging in self-talk while your mind is spiraling is ineffective. Find a safe space and take several deep breaths. A tool that is used in hypnosis is to give the mind a suggestion to become “calm, relaxed, and in control”. The goal is to shift to a better feeling and as you do, your mind and body begin to be and feel this. Know that the mind cannot experience two conflicting emotions at the same time. Once you feel centered and focused, you can begin self-talk.
Self-talk allows you to reflect on your success and failures. Here, you can challenge the inner critic and question the validity of the toxic statements. You can ask if there is truthfulness in what’s being said. For example, is it true that you never had a sale, achieved a goal, or had a successful presentation? Is it true that you don’t have what it takes to succeed?
After reflecting on these questions, you may realize that the inner voice exaggerated your insecurities. Perhaps you didn’t fail as much as you believed. Maybe you know what you’re doing and you’ve been doing a great job.
Challenge the inner critic with proof of your past wins and successes!
Now replace those negative thoughts with positive beliefs. List examples of what you are truly capable of and reflect on past accomplishments. As you are reflecting on your past wins, tap into how you felt and allow those feelings and emotions to flow through you.
Here are some affirmations to try out:
- I know what I’m doing.
- I have this job for a reason.
- I got accepted into this school for a reason.
- I’m up for this challenge.
- I have what it takes.
When you’re transparent with yourself, you’ll find that most of what the inner critic says is untrue. If you failed in the past, that’s okay. Failure is a part of life. It’s how we learn and grow. Reframe your past mistakes as learning opportunities and allow it to propel you forward.
Keeping the Inner Critic in Check
When it comes to your inner critic, self-talk is not a one-and-done practice. You have to constantly remind yourself that you’re good enough and you’re confident in your abilities. One way to conquer the inner critic and keep it in check is by citing proof of your past wins again and again. Keep the wins top of mind.
If you spoke well at a conference or received a high score on your finals, reflect on how you felt with those wins. Acknowledging your accomplishments is a great reminder that you have what it takes to be successful. It also allows you to silence any pessimistic whispers from your inner critic.
While the inner voice is associated with negative conceptions, its main purpose is to guide you on your life’s journey and keep you safe and protected. However, protection may evolve into barriers, sheltering you from facing tough challenges as well as discovering your true potential.
Although you can use your inner critic as a compass, it doesn’t mean you have to follow and accept everything it tells you. Trust your inner knowing and intuition. When your inner critic states something harmful, challenge it.
As you continue your journey, remember that you are enough. Tap into your power and set your mind to achieve your goals.
If you need guidance with your inner voice, schedule a virtual session with Mindful Hypnotherapy of San Francisco today!
Let’s work towards your transformation.
