Overcoming My Inner Critic

Sorry I've been slacking this week my lovelies... my schedule got turned upside-down at work yesterday when I was called in early... and then I traded shifts with someone and had to come in today as well.  So, my blog writing slacked a little bit.  I'm going to push everything over a day... which means we'll talk a little health today, and I'll share one of my favorite recipes with you tomorrow.

"Someday everything will make perfect sense.  So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason."

One of Jason's college friends posted this as her status update yesterday.  With everything that's happened in my life lately, it really struck a chord.


Both Jason and I have been insanely critical of ourselves with every little aspect of our lives:  Weight Loss, Finances, Career Paths, Life Choices, etc.  It's been a tense few weeks in the Lock-Tomlinson household as we wait for the Government Shutdown to end so we can get Jason's paperwork going... As we struggle to make good eating choices, even though what we want to do is eat pizza and ice cream... As we stress over our financial situation, and why we're not where we thought we would be by almost 30...  And the list goes on.

All this stressing has got me thinking about my inner critic... and what a real bitch she can be sometimes.  I sometimes have a hard time moving past the barriers I put up for myself in all aspects of life.... particularly weight loss.

When I get knocked down in my fitness goals-- I generally turned to cake and cookies for comfort-- not my drive and ambition to continue the journey.  So how does one overcome that and find a balance between confidence and a level head?

I found an article, that's a little granola-y... and yet had a lot of good points.  I'll paraphrase them for you.

Work together-- it's not a good idea to silence your inner critic altogether, because she/he is tapped into your conscience and ignoring what your conscience wants could take you down a dangerous road.  But, working with your conscience can have some great results.

Criticism is good-- It's what helps us get better.  Even the most negative criticism I've got has helped me become a better, more self-aware person.  It's important to take whatever criticism life throws you, and use it to make a positive change.

So, how do you know if you and your inner critic are working together or against each other.  The author of this article had a little test, which I've posted below.

Courtesy: KaleidoSoul

I love this post for several reasons... but mostly because it basically says to me that you don't have to take the hurt lying down.  You can change your attitude and your outcome.  It's all about choice.  You can choose to bring yourself down, or you can choose to build yourself up.   And if it's a seriously bad situation, there are trained professionals who can help you with that....  but you have to make the choice.

I'm glad I stumbled upon this article this week.  I needed a reminder that I'm not so terrible... and I can do anything as long as I have a positive attitude, and can stay motivated.

Do you struggle with your inner critic?  What are some ways you work out your issues with your inner critic?  Has your inner critic ever crippled your ability to tackle something?  Leave your feedback below in the comments section.  I'd love to hear from you!