Dr Axel Rüdiger Würz
Specialist Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy (UK)
MD, MRCPsych,DiplCBT,DiplClinHyp
Specialist Psychiatrist in Psychotherapy (UK)
MD, MRCPsych,DiplCBT,DiplClinHyp
Making Peace With Inner Critics
For some people 'inner critics' are more a sort of inner feeling - initially difficult to put into words. For others they are that inner voice as clear as headlines printed in fat letters: Thoughts that criticise, discourage you and put you down. They can focus their criticism on how you 'perform' in various areas such as work, relationships and sex. Or they target your looks or even who you are as a a person. Frequently, these inner critics even write the scripts for 'inner horror movies', so that you not only feel low and drained but also anxious and scared at the same time.
The initial advice you may have been given is to 'Just think positive', but that is a tall order when you are tense and tired and hope is a scarce commodity.
Discovering what the 'inner critics' are trying to achieve and how they are going about it is often a much more rewarding way to help them to move into the background, for them to become more like distant background noise rather than the main chorus in your life.
The initial advice you may have been given is to 'Just think positive', but that is a tall order when you are tense and tired and hope is a scarce commodity.
Discovering what the 'inner critics' are trying to achieve and how they are going about it is often a much more rewarding way to help them to move into the background, for them to become more like distant background noise rather than the main chorus in your life.