…lects the life-affirming part of us, we are also taking action against the critical inner voice. When we stop a negative behavior and enact a positive one in its place, our critical inner voice is threatened and tries to get us back in line. If you conceptualize it as a malicious coach in your head, you can imagine your critical inner voice telling you: Who do you think you are? You’re never going to change. You always fail. Who are you fooling? E…
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…onship. Learn more about styles of attachment here. Becoming aware of your critical inner voice and how it impacts your relationship. To varying degrees, we all have an enemy within, a part of ourselves that operates inside our heads in much the same way a malicious coach would, criticizing us and offering up bad advice. The critical inner voice does not support our loving, vulnerable self, but rather our destructive attitudes and behavior. It com…
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…always arise between two, independent-minded people, and it’s easy to get critical of someone who we know well enough to witness their weaknesses. When trouble starts brewing, expect the rush of critical thoughts to come into your head, roaring through like a passing train. Then, know that you can decide whether or not to jump on the train. Reflect on your patterns. Once we’ve calmed down and stepped away from a heated situation with our partner,…
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…Inner Critic It’s common when starting a relationship to hear all kinds of critical inner voices. The critical inner voice represents a self-destructive thought process that fuels our insecurities and hurts our self-esteem. We tend to listen to this “voice” a lot when we start dating someone. We may have thoughts toward ourselves like, “I can’t believe you just said that. You sound like an idiot!” or “She doesn’t even like you. You’re wasting your…
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…ventions Discuss a cognitive/affective/behavioral approach for challenging critical inner voices surrounding sexuality Identify how familial and societal influences have contributed to critical or distorted attitudes toward self and sexuality Provide greater awareness of personal values and perspectives on sexuality Express a broader understanding of the diverse expressions of human sexuality Communicate with increased skill and comfort around sex…
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…necessary, by soothing ourselves. We can take our side by challenging our critical self-attacks and, thereby, offering ourselves compassion and love. We can be more willing to feel our sadness, anger, or the deeper primary emotions that make us feel more connected to ourselves. We can feel our feelings rather than suppressing them and allowing them to silently dictate our lives. When we live in harmony with our emotions, we become more in touch w…
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…ct absorbed in thoughts and “voices” that represented their anti-self? The critical inner voice undermines the ability to interpret events realistically, triggers negative moods, and sabotages the pursuit of satisfaction and joy in life. These destructive thoughts, which exists to varying degrees in each of us, lead to a sense of alienation, a feeling of being removed from ourselves and distant from those we love. We often have little awareness of…
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…gative thoughts that turn us against ourselves and the people we love. The critical inner voice is a destructive thought process that hurts us in our daily lives by shaming us and warning us against others. This inner critic is like a dark cloud over our heads, sprinkling thoughts like, “Today is just going to be one of those days. It’s all too stressful. Just keep your head down.” Sometimes, the critical inner voice floods us with an all-out down…
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…at is aroused. The anxiety will gradually subside as you adjust to a realistic way of seeing yourself and to achieving genuine success in the real world. Related Articles: What Are Defenses? Critical Inner Voice How to Identify Your Critical Inner Voice Related Books: Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion …
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…ay? Don’t get used to this; it will never last.” It’s not uncommon for our critical inner voice to enter into our lives at times when we are actually getting what we want. While punishing and unpleasant, these self-critical points of identity have become familiar and can cause us anxiety when we attempt to challenge them. By challenging the ways we limit ourselves and expanding what we allow ourselves to have, we build a richer, more rewarding lif…
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