Overcome Your Biggest Critic — You!

We live in a world where criticizing someone is as simple as typing a social media comment or sending a text message. However, despite those factors, each of us is still our own biggest critic when it comes to our actions and interactions with others.

When was the last time you heard that little voice in the back of your head saying you weren’t good enough or thin enough or smart enough at something you did? Probably not that long ago.

Those thoughts and feelings build up over time and can lead to more serious cases of depression and anxiety. They also lead to a desire to do what we know is safe and comfortable rather than expanding our boundaries and pushing outside of our comfort zones.

You only have one life to life, so why spend it criticizing yourself? Instead, focus on motivating yourself to do better in a positive way.

Turn Self-Criticism into Self-Compassion

The first step toward turning criticism to praise is to accept the fact that you are not perfect. No one is, no matter how things may seem. There’s always something lurking under the surface, even for those who put their lives on display through seemingly perfect social media feeds.

Once you accept the fact that you are going to make mistakes, you can start to reward yourself for a job well done rather than getting hung up on what you could have done better.  Whenever you finish something — from running a race to leading a big meeting at work — take a few moments to reflect on how things went and give yourself a mental high five for something that you did well.

It might seem strange at first, especially if your default is to immediately go to what you did wrong, but over time it will start to feel more natural, and your physical and mental well being can improve as a result!