Your Inner Critic is Lying

We’re halfway through August and we still have some ground to cover as we focus on stopping negative thoughts.

By now you may have identified, acknowledged, and addressed your toxic thought patterns and began tracking your thoughts. Take a moment and reflect on what you notice. Are your thoughts more positive or negative? Have you identified a thought that has shaped the core of your character and being?

Self-reflection is essential and positions you for change.

Understanding where stinking thinking originates is such an integral part of healing that place and incorporating change.

How often do you feel something stirring inside of yourself and ask yourself where did that come from?

Today, I want to address something we are ALL very familiar with; “Our Inner Critic”. 

Before I go any further, I want to make sure you know what the “inner critic” is.

The inner critic is the internal voice that judges and criticizes you. It normally carries a negative undertone and says mean things. You may have heard some of the LOUD lies your inner critic says. Here are a few inner critic statements:

  • I am not good enough.
  • I am ugly.
  • I am not worth it.
  • I am a failure.
  • I should quit.
  • I hate my body.
  • I will never be anything.
  • No one likes me.
  • I am not important to anyone.
  • I will never have success.
  • I am worthless.
  • I am not strong enough.

Understanding and recognizing these statements are not based on fact is essential for debunking them. You ever have a conversation with someone, or even observe one and you KNOW the person is lying? In those cases, you immediately dismiss what the person is saying because you know it has no validity.  That is the same for the inner critic. The inner critic is NOT speaking facts. YOU must identify the voice of your inner critic; acknowledge the things it speaks are lies and address them by replacing them with truth.

The inner critic yields powerful emotions. Feelings such as shame, guilt, jealousy, depression, anxiety doubt, fear, rejection, and others are paralyzing and debilitating. When you experience difficult things throughout your childhood and your life, your inner critic is formed based on those experiences.

When you think of your personal inner critic, take a moment, and reflect on where you heard those “lies” in the past. Did your parents pressure you? Were kids mean to you? Did you have a mean boss or friends that were not kind? Many times, the inner critic gets its verbiage from previous conversations and experiences. They take shape and somehow become your truth. But it’s NOT. It is a lie.

So, what can you do to silence your inner critic? Here are 6 steps to turn the volume down:

  • Identify: Know the voice of your inner critic
  • Acknowledge: Separate it from your voice
  • Address: Speak truth to the lies
  • Challenge: The Lie. Knowing where the lie comes from allows you to replace it by believing the truth you speak.
  • Create: Affirmations
  • Believe: You have value

So that’s it. You are on your way to silencing the inner critic and finding joy in believing in and affirming yourself. 

Today is the first day of seeing, believing, and achieving. 

Take a moment to repeat this statement:

My inner critic is a liar. The statements that do not build up, empower, or affirm me are not truth. I am valuable, I am worthy, and I am enough. Today, I walk in the purpose and promise that aligns with a healthy inner critic and positive self-talk.

I encourage you to sign and date this statement. If necessary, save it to your phone or print out the attachment as a reminder that you have the power to adjust the volume and silence the inner critic.

Have a great week and remember, you have value, and you matter.

Sharhonda,

Your Partner in Faith and Mental Health