How To Kill Your Inner Critic

You know that little voice that tells you you shouldn't have eaten that burger, you could have worked out harder, you should have saved more money, eaten healthier, stuck to your routine, kept your word etc etc etc.....

It's time to take away its power. 

It's unrealistic to think that you'll ever get this voice (aka your ego) to go away completely - it's something we're built with and it will always be there. But you don't have to allow it to be so loud and persistent - and the best part is, you can CHOOSE not to believe anything it says.

The most important thing that you can come to understand is that thoughts are things that happen to you, they are not actually YOU talking.

So you can pick and choose the thoughts you like, and laugh at all the shitty ones that are attempting to bring you down. They're not coming from you - so who cares what they have to say? You get to decide which thoughts carry weight in your life. 

But this part’s important so LISTEN UP: Your mind is ALWAYS eavesdropping on your self-talk.

Your mind does not know the difference between thoughts about things that you WANT to happen and thoughts about things that you DON’T WANT to happen - so it's going to fulfil whatever content it's hearing most often.

That's why it's vital to know how to kill your inner critic, something personal growth expert Jim Kwik calls "killing ANTs" or Automatic Negative Thoughts. How? There are a couple of ways: 

1. You can first practice recognizing negative thoughts as foreign invaders to your mind and choose not to give them space to take up residence. Recognize a negative thought when it comes and fire back with a positive one to replace it. 


Example
Negative thought:  "I should have worked out today, I'm so lazy. Why can't I stick to a routine?!" 

Positive replacement: "I'm so grateful for my healthy, mobile body. I'm going to treat it well and make time for exercise tomorrow." 

Listen to this podcast episode with Jim Kwik to learn more about the science and magic of replacing negative self-talk.

2. Another way to kill ANTs is to practice power posing (standing with chin up, chest out, firm stance, arms open wide etc.) and deep breathing for 2 minutes.

 I know.... it feels awkward AF and you look like an idiot but it WORKS so just do it where no one can see you! It's proven by science to increase testosterone levels by 20% drop cortisol (stress hormone) levels by 20% and make you 33% more likely to take action. Here’s a video from TIME with social psychologist and professor at Harvard Business School, Amy Cuddy, where she explains power posing and why it works.

3. My last tip is to practice tuning in to your inner best friend. Instead of accepting what your inner critic has to say so readily, practice listening closely for that much quieter but more positive voice within you that knows your worth and all your positive attributes.

Let that voice get louder and stronger and tell you how amazing you are, how hard you work, how well you show up for friends and family, & how badass you are from the inside out. Because the truth is, YOU ARE.