Critical Inner Voice Is Against Hope and Peace Lesson 4

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The critical inner voice exists to varying degrees in every person. It undermines our ability to interpret events realistically; it triggers negative moods and sabotages our pursuit of satisfaction and meaning in life. We are often unaware of the destructive impact that these thoughts are having on our emotions, actions, and the overall quality of our lives.

Stop Us from Going After Opportunities

One of the more harmful effects of listening to the stories we tell ourselves, is that they can stop us from going after opportunities. It could be that you don’t seek out promotion opportunities because you feel you aren’t good enough. Or you may miss out on life experiences because you aren’t confident enough to step out of your comfort zone.

If you don’t stop listening to that critical inner voice and take advantage of the opportunities that come your way, your quality of life is going to suffer. You won’t move forward; instead, you’ll be stuck right where you are now.

What is the Critical Inner Voice?

The critical inner voice is a well-integrated pattern of destructive thoughts toward ourselves and others. The nagging “voices,” or thoughts, that make up this internalized dialogue are at the root of much of our self-destructive and non-affirming behavior.

The critical inner voice is not an auditory hallucination; it is experienced as thoughts within your head. This stream of destructive thoughts forms an anti-self that discourages individuals from acting in their best interest.

The inner critic stifles personal and professional growth by snuffing our dreams and extinguishing our hopes. The inner critic is a foe that keeps many of us from following our hearts and dreams.

The Critical Inner Voice is the part of us that is turned against ourselves. It is the defended, negative side of our personality that is opposed to our ongoing development. The voice consists of the negative thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that oppose our best interests and diminish our self-esteem. It encourages and strongly influences self-defeating and self-destructive behavior. This hostile, judgmental advisor also warns us about other people, promoting angry and cynical attitudes toward others and creating a negative, pessimistic picture of the world = all together prevent us from hope, thriving and success.

How Does the Critical Inner Voice Affect Us?

The critical inner voice is an internal enemy that can affect every aspect of our lives, including our self-esteem and confidence, our personal and intimate relationships, and our performance and accomplishments at school and work. These negative thoughts affect us by undermining our positive feelings about ourselves and others and fostering self-criticism, inwardness, distrust, self-denial, addictions and a retreat from goal-directed activities.

Lesson Resources

The critical inner voice

Learn about the inner critic that leads so many of us to sabotage ourselves. Discover where it comes from and how you can overcome it once and for all.

More Info

What It's like not having an inner monologue from FireFox founder?

Lakeasha Sullivan, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in Atlanta has an article< How to Make Friends with your Inner Critic" is a good read. Note: There are a lot of annoying ads and links that I find distracting but It's worth the insight to make it through. If you look under the image there is a "Listen" button. It's a 7-minute audio.

Deeper Dive

Comments

"I have learned after 70 years of dealing with my inner critic that sometimes the best thing to do is to is laugh at it. It's a way to let it know how absurd it's attempts at convoluted cognitive distortions are.." ~Santana Claus

How do you tame your inner critic? Please, I'd love to hear your thoughts below.