Hot Take: When integrated well, our Inner Critic has a purpose.
That part within you that criticizes your thoughts, desires, behaviors, emotions, and really all you do. The noise or chatter in your mind that for some seems to be a constant reel. Then our Inner Critic shames us for the fact that we have and listen to our Inner Critic. Ughh the cycle.
What if instead we could acknowledge that our Inner Critic exists, for a purpose, and isn’t the only part of our whole self? What if we could find balance; hearing and honoring the voice of our Inner Critic without falling victim to it? Sounds nice, right??
Our Inner Critic serves to protect us. It’s the voice connected to our survival instinct that desires to avoid hurt and harm. It can motivate us for growth and change. Clearly this is an important part of us (or else we may find ourselves in some sticky situations). However, things go off the rails when our Inner Critic’s voice is loud and distracts us from the other parts of ourselves and causes us to disconnect from our Selves as a whole. Too much of a good thing can become a harmful thing.
So, rather than trying to get rid of, silence, or shame ourselves for having an Inner Critic, what if instead we listened to that voice with curiosity and compassion, trying to understand what our Inner Critic may be attempting to protect us from, and thank it for the hard work it does.
Finding balance can be a game changer. If you feel out of balance, finding a therapist can be a great tool to integrating all your parts.
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