“Trust your Inner-Creator and let go of your inner-critic.”
“You are not capable enough.”
“Today will be the same as every day for you!”
“You are fat.”
“You are stupid.”
We are sure that reading these four lines alone triggered all the negative things for you. If meager 10 secs of reading these thoughts could spoil your current mood, imagine having this constant inner critic and its capacity to bring an avalanche of negativity. And the worst part is that we bring that negativity into our life even when we can choose to do the opposite.
The conversations that you have with yourself have the potential to either make or break you! Imagine preparing your best for a job interview but what you keep telling yourself is that you cannot make it! How can you then possibly conquer that moment? The inner critic is like a force that is cruel and deeply damaging. The stronger it is, the more its impact on our mental wellbeing. No matter how impressive our acts are, it’s like a voice that may soil and spoil anything.
While many of us are blessed with the prowess of boosting ourselves, sadly, many don’t know how to shut that demeaning inner voice. And this blog is dedicated to them.
Here are some ways to conquer those negative thoughts and pave the way for the desired positivity.
1. Label your inner critic :
Notice how we just don’t deal with a person when he or she is harshly criticizing us or not letting us be happy? Well, when we have the potential to do so ourselves for the external forces, why not do the same for the voice within us? It’s anyway, contributing nothing and only making things worse. One easy way to do so is learning to differentiate between what thoughts are helping you rise and which ones are doing the opposite. Give the latter ones a common name, that is, label them as one! It could be anything that helps you realize it’s doing no good, and you have the choice to let it go. E.g., demon or Miss/Mr. No good, the saboteur! This will automatically instill a belief that you are no longer supposed to give in to this voice.
2. Raise the quotient of self-compassion :
Similarly, how do you deal with your loved ones? Especially when they are sitting with thoughts that give them a hard time. You go up to them and tell them that the self-sabotaging inner voice is only a thought, not a fact! Then you do your best to distract them with better things. You ask them to look within for the positives and at the brighter side of life. For that is what is worth it all. Well, you gotta do the same for yourself. Show some compassion to yourself.
3. Start replacing the inhibiting thoughts :
Once you learn to recognize the thoughts that are making things worse for you, start replacing them with positive and helpful ones. For example, you have gotten an opportunity to go to your dream city, but all you can think about is how you’ve never been alone and cannot make it solely. Replace the thoughts of worries with thoughts of opportunities. It’s like making space for what is helping you.
4. Acknowledge that the inner critic voice won’t go away, but will tone down:
We must accept that we shall always have an ongoing inner dialogue. One that will govern our thoughts and actions. Don’t give yourself a hard time thinking about why you have to deal with them. They shall always be our part, but once we start working on them, we get prepared to look past the negative ones and see the sea of great possibilities. We become capable of molding ourselves in a way that benefits us. The inner critic may stay, but you, dear, will know exactly how to conquer it.
5. Understand what truly matters to you :
You have been gifted with a beautiful life! One that is to be cherished and not given in to thoughts that make it difficult to live. So understand what truly matters to you. Set aside negativity and think of everything that makes living wonderful for you. Your family, your dreams, your friends, and most importantly, you!
You are more than your negative thoughts and deserve to live a life that is worthwhile.