This is an excerpt taken from a recent recording I did on how to Tame Your Inner Critic as part of my Empower Yourself series. This blog is an introduction to the theme (for more info on my programmes, please scroll down). For my FREE 5-day challenge go here Tame Your Inner Critic Challenge.
Hi, it’s Jess Baker here, I’m a Women’s Leadership Coach and Chartered Psychologist. I want to explain why I’m talking about, and running programmes on, How to Tame Your Inner Critic. It’s probably the most important step you’ll ever take to authentically feel more confident with who you are.
Why do we feel under-confident?
There are a variety of reasons why we feel under confident at any one moment, with specific people, or in certain situations.
For example, you might feel slightly intimidated by someone at work for some reason: perhaps they are more senior than you, or perhaps they physically take up more space than you do.
Or there might be certain situations that fill you with dread just by thinking about them. This may be based on previous unpleasant experience, or it may be simply irrational.
Over the years I’ve come to realise that, most of the time, our under-confidence stems from the limiting beliefs that we hold about ourselves.
These limiting beliefs express themselves as an audible “voice” in our head. They are actually just thoughts. But these are very self-critical and damaging thoughts. Sometimes it’s a gentle whisper. At other times it’s an internal Munch-esque scream accompanied by a quickened heartbeat.
I’ve experienced these self-critical thoughts all of my life, sometimes louder and more forceful than at other times. It’s a perfectly natural occurrance, and as a fellow human being, I’ve no doubt that you have your own self-critical thoughts.
What is the Inner Critic?
I call this audible “voice” in your head, the Inner Critic. It’s different to other types of thoughts you have that are helpful and useful (e.g. reflective thoughts that help you learn; or thinking and planning ahead etc.).
These self-critical thoughts are particularly unhelpful, often lead to further critical thoughts, and they are, unfortunately, unstoppable.
What kind of self-critical thoughts do you have? Usually, it’s about things you feel you should or ought to do or say. Do you recognise any of these…?
“I should get to the gym more often.”
“I ought to lose five pounds.”
“I really should raise my profile at work.”
“I ought to spend more time with the kids.”
“I ought to be earning more money by now.”
“An endless stream of oughts and shoulds that lead you to believe that you are not good enough”
Do you sense the frustration in these sentences? Do you feel the self-loathing in its voice? It’s a sign of dissatisfaction with how you are in this moment.
But – and it’s important to stress this ‘but’ – the thoughts are never helpful: the voice of the Inner Critic does not lead to action.
On the contrary, the Inner Critic only ever leads to feeling worse about ourselves. It might be a fleeting moment of dissatisfaction, or might be a lifetime of never feeling good enough or worthy enough.
How does the Inner Critic make you feel?
In a word: Pants.
The Inner Critic has enormous power. It’s been rehearsing its message since you were a child. It’s well-practiced and has honed its succinct monologue.
You know as well as I do that your thoughts affect how you feel and how you behave. Unfortunately, your reactions to your Inner Critic are just as well-established as your Inner Critic itself.
For example, you may experience a shift in your mood that you can’t attribute to tiredness, or hormonal changes. You might suddenly feel uncertain, feel frustrated, or begin to worry or panic.
Your body may physically react to the Inner Critic. You might experience a faster heart rate, your breath quickens, you may even begin to sweat or shake with anxiety.
Whilst I encourage clients to initially become aware of their thoughts, some of my clients actually find it easier to notice when their Inner Critic has been activated, by becoming aware of changes to their mood or their body.
In addition, your Inner Critic can also change your behaviour.
Do you procrastinate (worried that you won’t do a good enough job?), defer making decisions (convinced you’ll make the wrong one?), avoid specific people (they make you feel worse about yourself?), or say ‘yes’ because it’s easier than saying ‘no’ (you don’t feel assertive enough to establish your boundaries?).
Underlying each of these examples is your Inner Critic and its harmful messages: you’re not good enough, you’re an imposter, you don’t deserve success, you’re not worthy of being loved.
What triggers the Inner Critic?
Each one of us has a variety of triggers; some more powerful and well-established than others. I’ve compiled them into 4 categories below.
Comparing yourself to others – this never works in our favour. Research tells us that we naturally judge others so that we can determine how to best fit into society. However, with judgement comes comparison – and we rarely compare ourselves favourably to others.
Comparing your real self to your Ideal Self – you hold a perfected, idealised version of yourself in your mind’s eye that you could never live up to. So, all the time you are yearning to be that version of yourself, you feel dissatisfied with how you are now.
Someone else’s negative judgement about you (or something that was said in front of you) – your Inner Critic isn’t your original thought, but something your brain latched on to as truth. What comes up for you as you read this? A criticism from your mother, father, teacher, ex-lover etc…?
Someone else’s Inner Critic – “Other People’s Inner Critic” is just as dangerous as our own if we don’t recognise it as such. They project their own fears and insecurities on to us (often totally unaware that they are doing so, and without meaning to) but it can still be harmful.
Can you see how endemic the Inner Critic is? Some people, like me, are more susceptible to its power than others, and those of you still reading this know exactly what I’m talking about.
Befriend Your Inner Critic
It is never going to just turn off. You cannot stop your Inner Critic, but you can manage how you respond to it.
Noticing it – becoming aware of your Inner Critic is the most important step to empowering yourself. Once you notice what it says and why, you can understand and befriend it.
Sharing it – telling someone you can trust what your Inner Critic says about you is a powerful step towards disempowering it. You see, your Inner Critic needs secrecy and shame to stay alive, and the most effective way of reducing this is to tell someone about it.
Rationalise it – engaging your rational brain is the next step to taming your Inner Critic. Using methods from cognitive-behavioural psychology, such as disputation, makes it really difficult for you to continue to believe the rubbish that your Inner Critic promotes.
What else can I do?
You have three options:
Find a coach to help you to identify your Inner Critic. It’s possible, but not easy, to do on your own. Because your Inner Critic is embedded in how you see yourself, and extremely good at arguing, you’ll probably end up going around in circles. If you’d like to contact me about coaching, I host free 30-minute calls so we can find out if and how we can work together.
Join 100+ other women in the next live round of my FREE 5-Day Challenge: Tame Your Inner Critic. If you’re ready to get out of your own way, stop procrastinating, and have more confidence to go after the life you deserve to have, then this is for you.
And if you’re really serious about disempowering your Inner Critic, then come and join the smaller group of women on my “Stop Self-Sabotaging & Find Your Focus” one-day Hideaways. Every participant has said they have got so much value from this one day to focus just on themselves.
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