From the course: Mindfulness Practices

Practice: Manage your inner critic

From the course: Mindfulness Practices

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Practice: Manage your inner critic

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- This practice is to manage your inner critic and grow your self-acceptance. Find a quiet space and shut off any distractions. Sit comfortably, relaxing your shoulders, your feet on the floor. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Inhale slowly through your nose. Exhale through your mouth. Start to become aware of the sensation of your breath as it goes in. Where does it feel the strongest? Place your attention there. Continue to breathe. Soon after you start this practice, you may find your thoughts wandering. Your inner critic may scold you. "Come on," it may say, "you can't even get breathing right?" Or you may bring to mind a situation where your inner critic showed up. This is the part of each of us that is judgmental and can be quite hurtful at times. As you remember the situation, imagine what your inner critic looks like. You might even choose to name them. Now notice what the inner critic is saying. Label the thought. For example, my inner critic says, "You're not worthy of that," or, "You need to keep proving yourself to get approval." What's your inner critic saying? Notice what happens to your energy when your inner critic is present. What's happening to your posture? My posture often becomes closed and small when my inner critic is present. As you notice these thoughts, pay attention to your reaction. Do you believe your inner critic? Do you fight them? Notice if there's any feelings the criticism brings up in you. Just label the feeling. Is it hurt, anger? Fear, numbness? See if you can locate it in your body. Breathe into that space. Imagine your breath like a warm hug when that voice is especially hurtful. Breathe out. Continue to give yourself compassion. See if anything shifts. Now imagine standing confidently, facing your inner critic. If it feels right, you can say, "Thank you for trying to keep me safe. I've got this now." You can pause this if you'd like to continue the practice longer. (bell resonates) When you're ready, open your eyes. Nice job. You faced your inner critic and let them know that you see them. As you see them, you have more choice about whether to believe them. You may want to come back to this practice when your inner critic is particularly loud. To explore your inner critic, jot down the answers to the questions in the Exercise Files. Living with self-criticism and shame takes away our freedom to choose our actions and our right to live our lives with inner self-respect and peace of mind. Here's wishing you the freedom to explore and bring your best to what matters to you. Until the next time, my friends.

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