Five Steps to Quieting Your Inner Critic

Wanting to do a good job is an admirable quality, but it can cause a lot of unnecessary stress if you let your inner critic run rampant and constantly berate you for your mistakes.

The inner critic, often referred to as the “nagging” part of our brain, is a voice that criticises us for mistakes we’ve made in the past. This voice isn’t necessarily negative; in fact, it’s critical that you listen to it and learn from it rather than ignore it completely.

Facing Your Inner Critic

To face your inner critic you need to become more mindful of your thoughts and actions, as well as the things you say about yourseof, and erect a healthy boundary around them. If left unaddressed, the voice in your head can lead you astray from your goals and stop personal growth. This is why it’s important to learn how to effectively silence your inner critic.

Quieting Your Inner Critic

How to quiet your inner critic is an exercise. You don’t need a special method — none of the tips listed here involve magical thinking or wishful thinking. All of them are simple, logical steps that can be followed regardless of whether or not you’ve set boundaries in the past.

Start by identifying the three main triggers that bring out the inner critic in you: disappointment, failure, or fear. Then train yourself to recognise when situations that trigger these feelings arise so they don’t undermine your efforts.

For example you might feel disappointed when something you have worked very hard on does not give you the return you expected. You may blame yourself for not having done enough research.

You might feel a sense of failure if you compare yourself with someone else. We live in an age where people update their social feeds regularly and talk about how much they have achieved, or what great deals they have signed. Interestingply enough, they hardly talk about their failures. You should avoid comparing youself with someone else, especially when you don’t know the full story.

Uncertainty about the future can trigger fear. It can make you feel as if you’re not ready or prepared or good enough. There is no need to put yourself down. Sometimes “good enough” is good enough.

Once you take one small step toward setting boundaries in the present, your inner critic will cease its constant bickering and will instead concentrate on doing its job — highlighting the things you need to improve.

There are five easy steps that you can follow to silence your inner critic. They can help you regain the confidence that you need to succeed at work and in life.

Think positive thoughts. You are the actor, producer, director and writer of the script of your life. If you focus on the negative, your storyline will be that of misery and tragedy. Choose your script with care and aim for a happy ending.

Write down what you want and take the necessary actions to achieve it without hesitation or overthinking. Just make sure you learn to swim faster than the fish in your pond before you go swimming in the sea.

Stop micro-criticising yourself. Embrace your uniqueness and celebrate diversity. If you want to change your life, turn off the auto-repeat of your narrative and start a new broadcast.

Drop the phrase “it’s not possible” from your vocabulary. Remind yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to pursue.

Stop making excuses. Don’t be afraid to be seen trying. Don’t be afraid to be seen failing. You don’t have to get it right the first time.

Main Takeaway Points

• Learning to quiet your inner critic will improve your chances of thriving in life.
• You will learn to love yourself, and love your life.
• You will take better care of your physical and emotional well-being.

Silence your inner critic and watch your self-confidence soar!