Welcome fellow souls to « The Human Family Crash Course Series, » a new project collaborated together by empress2inspire.blog and sensispirit.wordpress.com. Together we will be working on a different topic for each crash course; our first topic is focused on « Self Love. » Each topic will have eight posts with posts on Mondays and Thursdays. We hope you enjoy our series and we look forward to knowing how our posts have inspired you!

The inner critic is the private conversations you have with yourself which can be either a powerful stepping stone or a major obstacle to reaching your goals. 

Here are some tips to aid you in silencing your inner critic: 

  • Stop the comparison between yourself and others. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “comparison is the thief of joy.” Try avoiding the desire to scroll endlessly through social media platforms and comparing your life to that of others. Remember, people mostly tend to show and project the positive images of their lives – you never really know how people are really feeling behind the facade. We all have issues, don’t worry.
  • Stop ruminating. When you make a mistake or you’ve had a rough day, you may be tempted to re-play like a movie the events over and over in your head. But, repeatedly reminding yourself of that questionable thing you said will only contribute to you feeling worse and it won’t solve the problem. Clear your mind with meditation and drop it.
  • Develop conscious awareness of your thoughts. Pay attention to what you’re thinking or ruminating about and realize that just because you think something, it doesn’t mean it’s true at all. Our thoughts are often over exaggerated and biased. Be aware of your own mind’s contents.
  • Be your own best friend. You’d probably offer a friend compassionate words of encouragement like, “You made a mistake but it’s not the end of the world.” Treat yourself equally as kind as you’d treat a friend and apply those words of encouragement to your life.
  • Practice Self-compassion. Life is not perfect and nor are we. Just accept that. Growing into that mindset you can then begin to embrace your quirks, move past self-judgment, and let go of your self-critic. You are beautiful just as you are.
  • Start a daily self-gratitude journaling habit. Write in your journal five things you are grateful for each day and remember the blessings in your life. Focus on what you want in your life.

We’ll l leave you for now with these to ponder:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”—Dalai Lama

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” ~William Shakespeare

We hope this helps sooth your mind and adds some tools into your tool kit for silencing your inner critic and making room for self-love. Let us know how you silence your inner critic below!

44 responses to “How To Silence The Inner Critic”

  1. I meditate on my thoughts afterwards. I have to meditate every morning or whenever I start recognizing my inner critic. Sometimes I will use my journal and write down my thoughts and feelings and then write down what I can do to try to improve and quiet that inner critic. Practicing gratitude and self compassion, yoga and just overall being as gentle with myself as possible during the times of self criticism especially.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Try doing some meditation or yoga to declutter your thoughts. Meditation and yoga can help you be more mindful and quiet out-of-control thoughts in your head. Try doing 15-30 minutes of meditation or yoga whenever your self-talk is bothering you.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Thank you for sharing these tips

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Most welcome. Where Do Critical Inner Voices Come From. These inner voices usually come from early life experiences that are internalized and taken in as ways we think about ourselves.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Exactly, our inner child has been suppressed and we learn to take on other people’s voices and sacrifice our own self.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Glad you agree.

        Like

    1. Listen to your negative thoughts. This may seem counter-intuitive, but you can only silence your inner critic when you’re actually aware of it. I don’t mean feeding into it, but trying to listen as objectively as possible to those negative voices. A lot of times those negative thoughts stem from insecurities that are unmerited. Take the time to actually listen to what you’re telling yourself and you’ll find that oftentimes, those criticisms are silly. Actively listening to your negative talk will reveal that most of your criticisms are undeserved and ridiculous. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, why say it to yourself?

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Thank you for stopping by dragthepen. I agree with your statement. We live in a society that teaches that feeling, emotions, thoughts, and even some situations that are deemed negative are bad for us and that we much adopt the think positive attitude. However, as you pointed out sometimes we much listen and observe in order to learn.❤️

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Glad you agree.

        Like

    2. Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Love this! Great tips and great reminders.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Glad you liked the article. When you notice it talking at you simply say “stop” and then repeat a positive affirmation such as “I can do this. I am confident. I am worthy, or I am strong.” Which ever works for you. But keep repeating it until the inner voice disappears.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Brilliant, some tools for your tool kit. ❣

      Liked by 2 people

  4. I either need a life-coach willing to work with me daily pro-bono or a Dominant experiences in these practices. The latter sounds much more alluring at times. There may even be more “benefits” as well, Lol

    Liked by 5 people

    1. If you want to silence your inner critic, start writing down the evidence for and against the negative things it says to you – then, you can see objective proof of their invalidity. When the inner critic uses a mishap to try and convince you of your shortcomings, look for other possible explanations.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thank you, this is really helpful. My mother always told me to make a pros and cons list when marking important decisions. She said otherwise the mental loop of thoughts just spin. I had never thought the process had another application. But wow!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yup we all have negative thoughts patterns we don’t even realise

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Lesley (the English one) 😉

    Ruminating is one of my worst habits!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Rumination is sometimes referred to as a “silent” mental health problem because its impact is often underestimated. But it plays a big part in anything from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to eating disorders. But awareness is key!!!

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Lesley (the English one) 😉

        I’m getting better. My mind has developed a cut-off point when the habit becomes too frustrating. 😀

        Liked by 2 people

      2. That is amazing. Re-training the mind is key.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Lesley (the English one) 😉

        Yes, at the age of 67 I think I might be getting somewhere. lol xx

        Liked by 2 people

      4. Hahah there is no age to not learn.

        Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you 🙏🏼

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Always a pleasure to read and share your posts, My Dear!
        xoxox 😘💕🎁😊🌹

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Thank you. ❣

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Great post 👍 Being aware of the negative self talk is helpful.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Glad you liked the post Kellie. I am coming up with a post under “Daily Dose of Living” which talks about how to change the negative self talk.

      Liked by 2 people

    2. Glad it helped you!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Wonderful post. I know about ruminating and I’ve heard the word in context, but it’s helpful to name it one more time. Same with the Shakespeare and Dalai Lama quotes. Just great reminders.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Thank you. Glad you liked the post

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Thanksgiving blessings amen 🙏

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Thank you. 🙏🏼🙏🏼

      Liked by 2 people

  9. 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Great post indeed i took in so much from your post and I’m glad i pumped into it . Silencing your inner critic is very important because at time i tend to crucify myself unnecessary which may results in serious health ailments thanks for the post

    Liked by 2 people

    1. First, it is important to understand how the inner critic develops. In a nutshell: Our inner voice develops in childhood and is shaped by the way we are spoken too. Whether it’s loving, angry, encouraging, or critical, whatever our parents, caregivers, teachers, or peers say gets imprinted in our mind.

      Liked by 2 people

  11. All excellent suggestions. As a society, we have so many demands on us every day. I notice when I’ve gone too long without my gratitude practice and I have to remember to forgive myself if I just don’t manage to get to it.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Think about it:

      How can you expect to move your life in a forward motion when your critical, judgemental voice is speaking so loud, it’s constantly berating you and scolding you for not being good enough and always making mistakes?

      Your inner critic does not motivate you.

      Do you know what does motivate you?

      The voice of encouragement. The voice of self-compassion. The voice of possibility.

      Liked by 2 people

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