Are you being kind enough to yourself?
Try this journaling prompt ✍️
When was the last time you showed some self-compassion?
Going through the motions and stresses of daily life, it can be easy to fixate on the negative. A big presentation at work triggers our Imposter Syndrome. Someone not replying to our text turns into “everybody hates me!”. Scrolling through social media makes us conclude that all our problems would be solved if we just had a bigger house, bum or bank account.
These feelings are totally normal and affect all of us, to some extent. However, we don’t need to let them control us.
If you feel like your inner critic is getting you down, here’s a simple journaling prompt to keep them in check.
Ready? Grab a pen and your favourite notepad, and let’s go.
A simple exercise for when your inner critic is being a pain in the ass
Step 1
Start by writing yourself a journal entry from your inner critic. Write down all the nasty things it’s saying to you and all the ways in which it thinks you’re going to fail.
Step 2
Next, write a new journal entry from your inner kindness, this time disputing all the mean things your inner critic said about you. Write to yourself from a place of pure love and kindness, as if you were talking to a friend.
Step 3
Once you’ve written both entries, compare the two (it helps if you can write them on each side of a double page spread for comparison). Look at what it’s saying objectively, and try to notice how the narrative isn’t necessarily true.
Often, putting things down on paper can give us a fresh perspective. Seeing the reality of how our inner critic speaks to us can shock us out of that negative self talk. We’re also actively taking time to be nice to ourselves by channeling the voice of our inner kindness.
So next time your inner critic is making you feel like sh*t, try this exercise to turn down its volume.
Let us know how you get on!
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