As I sit down to write my first ever Blog post, my inner Critic is running wild.
‘what are you going to say that is of any interest?’
‘you won’t even be able to log in to your website’
‘nobody will read it anyway’
You might be thinking ‘but you are a counsellor, surely you have managed to deal with your Inner Critic’. The truth is, I have, to a certain extent. But aswell as being a Counsellor, I am also human. So many of us are held back by this harsh, judgemental voice in our head. A voice that demands perfection. And it is a powerful voice, a voice that may stop us from trying new things, a voice that may stop us from leaving a job that we hate, a voice that keeps us in unhealthy relationships. But this voice is not your voice, it is not giving you a true reflectuion of yourself and your capabilities. It is a voice made up from many messages that we have internalised over the years, maybe from a teacher, school bully, parents etc.
All through my training to become a Counsellor, my Inner Critic was very busy and very loud, telling me that I was not good enough, I was too old to start a new career, I would fail, I was wasting my time. But I did not fail. I qualified and have now set up my own Private Practice, something my Inner Critic thought was impossible.
There are many things we can do to lessen the noise from that negative voice. We can give it a name. In doing that, we are distinguishing that voice from our true selves. We can respond to that voice with confidence and positivity. We can celebrate our achievements, with out comparison to others. We can reframe our thoughts, drowning out the negative voice. We can make time and space to recognise our needs and how we can meet them. We may also seek help from a professional who can support in recognising where this negaitve thought pattern may have come from, help you to reframe these thoughts and make positive changes which align to your true self.
As you become more aware of your Inner Critic, the more you can stop it in its tracks and set it straight about a few things. Find your voice.
And in answer to my Inner Critic, I have found something to say, I have managed to log in to my website and maybe nobody will read this. But, maybe they will. You dont know until you try.
If you would like to find out how Conselling coud help you, please go to the contact page, fill in the contct form and I will respond as soon as I can.