Feeling guilt is a natural response, yet we often attach unnecessary or 'false guilt' to situations that do not truly warrant it.
"There is an unholy voice that every self-aware artist encounters at some point in their lives. The voice that whispers, ‘Am I good enough?’ or, ‘Do I deserve to be here?’ or, ‘What if people hate me?’ - the voice that can ultimately lead to a state of paralysis. Yet, whether singer, artist, or otherwise, these are the demons we all must face. Whenever we take a risk in life, or do something that might set us apart, or draw the judgement of others, these crippling voices provoke a form of ‘stage fright’ - a fear of existence, a fear of life itself. But, if you can summon the resolve to overcome these inner voices, you can conquer anything, and the world will lie trembling at your feet.”
– Nick Cave, The Red Hand Files -
My inner critic used to be so loud. It would batter me daily with comments about the way I looked, what I said, how I presented myself, where I was not good enough and how I was such a failure and everything I should have done but had not.
Strangely enough our inner critic is a thing we all need. It’s original purpose is to tell us when we are in danger. Danger of being ostracised from a group, danger of failing at something or sends us warnings about doing things differently. You see doing things differently to our brain is dangerous because it is risky to our survival. “You have survived ok on what we have been doing previously so why change it?” Your inner critic will tell you.
The inner critic’s function is to tell us where there is danger, it helps us to assess situations. When it is good to do something and take and action or when it may be a threat to us. One could look at it as an overprotective friend that is constantly looking out for us in the background and communicating their concerns every minute of the day.
Personal Exercise - give this a try
Journalling prompts:
What is your inner critic’s story?
How did it evolve?
How does it manifest in your life today?
Additional Exercise
Draw a picture of your inner critic, give it an identity, a name, characteristics such as facial expression, position of it’s hands and then put speech bubbles next to it describing what it says.
The add some speech bubbles in a different colour or coming from a drawing of you that you can say back to your inner critic.
On our retreats and in our programmes and 1-1 sessions I can help you to transform self doubt into confidence. Quieten the voice of your inner critic so you can move forward in life, strive for your goals and dreams and worry less about what others think.
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