Our inner critic is a part of us; I’ve heard it referred to as the glue of our personality. Often there to judge us, to punish us, to berate us and make us feel guilty. Is this fair? It’s not, it’s harsh.
A harsh inner critic doesn’t believe that we are enough as we are – it thinks we need to work and work and work to get there. But it comes from a place of support and love – it just goes about it incorrectly.
Why do some of us have harsh critics?
Our critics are different; they are built from the survival strategies of early childhood, of trying to keep the attachment of our caregivers. As we grow older and take in cultural and social norms, they become fixed and a solid part of us.
This has a profound impact on how we view ourselves and how we make meaning. As children, we look for love and interpret messages from parents, school, friendships, and bullies. A harsh critic is always in our ears or influencing how we are and behave. The right and wrongs we learn lead us to try to be good, the best at school, and be loveable. If we do everything right, we’ll be loved, safe, and belong. It shuts down the part of us that might cause us to be disliked or not loved in a misguided way of protecting and loving us.
Our critic judges us; it doesn’t have another role. It attacks our intelligence, our gender, our age, our sexual orientation, our appearance, and our way of being. It makes us anxious; it increases stress, and it attacks our nervous system.
Some of us might have a healthy inner critic that is helpful for us – but many of us have an unhealthy, harsh critic that challenges our sense of self and worth. A healthy inner critic – or an inner champion- is kinder and more supportive, like a coach. It’s a healthy human conscience; it keeps us in check but in a less mean way, without beating us up, bathing us in shame. People with self-compassion and kind critics can look at learning and growth rather than failure.
How can we break free from a harsh inner critic:
- Listen to your critic; what is it so fearful of? What boundaries has it built up, and what are its rules? Don’t criticise your critic; be curious about it. What is it saying to you? What are its expectations? What are the ideals you need to match up to? What is its purpose? Does it have any positive intention?
- Imagine sitting next to your critic and chatting with it. What voice does it have? What standards is it holding you to (this might sound like you should, you must, more than, better than, less than)
- When does it appear? In what situations is it louder? When does it go away?
- How do you relate to your critic? How would you describe it to others?
- What are its origins, and how long has it been around? Does it remind you of anyone?
- How does it feel in your body? Do you want to curl up, fight or run away? If you don’t feel a voice in your head, you may feel it in your body; you may feel exhausted, diminished or small.
- Recognise that we are all human, all good people, and sometimes all make mistakes.
To begin this work, try to have a daily dialogue with your critic; talk to it from the moment you get up. Say to it, I need you to step back; I have my own back. Sit it down in a chair and say what you notice and feel about it. Play with it.
The benefits of this:
When we are more regulated, we have more power to confront and turn towards our critic, question it, laugh at it, and slowly disengage from it. Show it compassion, and try to understand how it’s trying to help.
We must look at our shame, defensive models, patterns, and survival strategies from a compassionate place. This work is about turning towards our inner child listening to it and supporting it through this work.
If you need support from a harsh inner critic or are interested in inner child work, please contact me.