Combating the Inner Critic

1.      Each day, be aware of the inner critic’s voice in your life and try to combat him.

·         What situation today brought out your inner critic?

·         What did he say to you?

·         How did you combat him, or how could you combat the critic in the future?

2.      Recognise that the inner critic was not born in you; he was adopted. You learn to be self-critical. The inner critic is an accumulation of messages you received as you grew and developed into an adult.

3.      Externalise the critic by giving him a name……Dragon, Gremlin, Dad or Mum, Wicked Wanda, Devil. Now, imagine him sitting on your shoulder talking into your ear with all his critical words.

4.      Fight against your critic whenever you hear his voice:

i)                    Tell him what he has cost you.  “You’ve caused me enough problems!” “You create anxiety for me.” “You stop me from getting what I really want.” You make me lose it with my daughter.”

ii)                  Next, brush him off your shoulder and yell at him one of the following:

 “Get lost,” “Piss off,” “Stop this crap,” “Shut up and go away now,” “Stop this abuse,” “No more lies,” “No more putdowns.”

5.      Reconfirm your worthiness by saying one of your affirmations; “I am worthy and loveable just as I am,” or  “I am good enough.” This is important because you need to replace the critic’s voice with something positive. You may not believe what you are saying at first, but if you continue to say it anyway, your subconscious will eventually take it as truth.

6.      Go to the toy store and find a toy that represents your inner critic. It might be a green monster or a devil, or perhaps an animal (a crocodile, a snake or a shark). You could also draw a picture of your inner critic, or find a picture from a book or on the internet. Place your critic (or it’s picture) somewhere prominent at home (on the bedside table, on the kitchen benchtop). Use the toy or picture as a reminder of your inner critic, and as you look at it, tell it that it is not going to be around for too long and that you’ve had enough of it’s negative, abusive, angry voice.