The Inner Critic strikes again…
Posted: March 10, 2010
There’s the inner critic again…
So, we’re all up to speed about what the inner critic is (if you missed it, read the previous post here), but what does it feel like when we’re under its scrutiny and under its control?
Well, you may feel:
- tired
- indecisive
- generally cranky
The trick is, we might not know that it’s our inner critic making us feel so crappy! Practically our entire world supports us in feeling bad about ourselves. We’re told to “not get too big for our britches” or that modesty is a virtue. We’re told to not get too excited about things — supposedly so we spare ourselves from being disappointed later, but this causes us to internalize a critical voice, something that tries to put a “cap” on our joy. And this brings up 2 important points:
- The Inner Critic means to protect us and keep us safe (it’s not truly malicious)
- Until we develop a strong awareness of the inner critic, we are identified with it, and it is nearly impossible to see.
Once we develop the ability to witness it, we start to be able to externalize the inner critic, and then, all of a sudden, we get to know ourselves as something other and more than the Inner Critic alone. But that takes work!
Next time we’ll explore more about that.
Talk with you then.
