Silencing my inner critic...

Lately, I've been focusing on 'silencing my inner critic.'  My life coach, Mandi, has really been a huge help in me realizing how damaging this critic has been.  I haven't even realized how bad it's gotten, but my self-talk wasn't nice.  I've named this critic 'Sneaker' because its been sneaking around my life, throwing in gut punches, jabs, upper cuts, and knock outs to my psyche for a while.  Oh so long.... 

Sometimes it doesn't sneak around though.  Yesterday was one of those days. Omigosh, I was such a crank! I think this stemmed from feeling overwhelmed with things I need to do and want to do in my professional and personal life.  And then things started happening that just started me griping about - an email here, a meeting there... and then BEEP.  The smoke alarm started beeping. No, not a fire beep, but you know the sound when the battery is low?  Yes... that beep that keeps coming... every so often, though never in any sort of rhythm.  It kept piling on... and the Sneaker saw its shot and went for it, flying into overdrive. There wasn't any sneaking around for sure.  It just went for it - telling me things like how stupid I was because I couldn't fix this or that... then it moved to the plants in the green house and how I was stupid and couldn't grow anything... it reminded me of the beautiful orchids my Mom had grown and how they all died because of I was incapable of caring for anything...

Why, if I would never dream of saying anything like this to someone else, would I do this to myself? 

Don't worry - I managed to finally step away.  Breathe. Just step away and chill for a moment.  I even took 25 minutes to play a video game.  That's it.  Then I went back to work. My focus was better and I was able to get things done... and was productive.

The picture below was one I took last fall, around Halloween, during the Halloween #GISH Stay-At-Home. (Sidenote - if you've never participated in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt, try it.  It's honestly the most fun you'll have... and you'll do some good for others, too.)  The picture was to be me silencing my inner demon.  I don't think my inner critic - a.k.a. 'Sneaker' - looks like that... though I don't know, maybe?  

BUT... This I do know.. I will silence it.  I know this because I know I can. I'm smart. I'm fun. I'm creative. I'm caring. I'm ...  I'm worth it. 

If you have the same issues with your inner critic, tell it to stop. Because you are worth it too. 







Comments

Unknown said…
You are most definitely worth it! And, I was researching GISH this morning. I think that sounds like so much fun! Do they only do it once a year?
10:23 AM
jr said…
Thank you. :)

The week long GISH is every year at the end of July / August... BUT... since 2020 spring, they've done a lot of Stay-at-home GISH, like this weekend. Check out the YouTube channel - you can see some of the Zooms they've done this past year... https://www.youtube.com/c/GISHTV
5:03 PM
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