Have you ever done something "wrong" and automatically were negative with yourself? Maybe you told yourself you would not eat out this week but gave into temptation. After the meal, you automatically told yourself that you are a failure, you have no willpower, and/or that this is just who you are and you are destined to be unhealthy.

This is your inner critic. We developed this voice as a young child to help us. It was like a parental voice in our head which would keep us safe in some cases. Like don’t touch a hot burner on a stove, etc. It could also be things that other adults and/or kids told us as children like "You can’t do anything", "You are a failure", "You are so fat and stupid". We hold onto those thoughts even as adults.  They also seem to impact us more negatively as adults.

These people may not have even told us we were a failure for example. We might have messed up at something and got laughed at, but processed that as "we are a failure at everything" in our mind and just held onto that.

As a young child, we are not able to process many things emotionally. We are still learning. So we develop different coping mechanisms and belief systems to get us through the rough times and comments. These belief systems may not be accurate though.

As an adult, our inner critic can get in our way and keep us stuck. Just because you have a thought doesn’t mean it is real or correct!

How to Change the Inner Critic

To change the inner critic, you need to challenge the negative thoughts.  For example, if you look in the mirror and the inner critic tells you that you are fat and a failure, recognize that thought. Do not suppress it. Then challenge it. Instead think, "I may not be at the weight I want to be, and I may have some health issues, but I am making small changes every day to improve my health and love myself more. That is good enough for me and I am proud of myself for taking steps in the right direction."

The more you are able to recognize the inner critic and challenge/change those thoughts in your head, the less the inner critic will appear. I used to think I was fat and a failure every time I looked in the mirror. It got to the point where I couldn’t even look in the mirror. If I did I would ask myself in a very disgusted way, "How did you let yourself get this way?"

The more I changed my inner dialogue, the more those thoughts disappeared slowly. Now I rarely have those thoughts and when I do have them, I know how to deal with them: I challenge them and prove to myself those thoughts are not accurate!

The most important thing is not to believe they are fact because they are not facts! They are just thoughts. Thoughts are not always true and they are also usually impermanent and fleeting. 

Don’t allow these destructive thoughts to derail you! You are going to make mistakes. You are human. That is ok! Learn from your mistakes and move on!

When you allow your inner critic to run your life and do not take care of yourself, you give your power away. Take your power back!  You need all of your power to transform your health and be able to put yourself first ALL of the time!

What are you waiting for?  Life is too short to continue holding yourself back any longer. Take a small step today to change your life.

I would love to guide and support you on your journey! Schedule your free Transformation Discovery consultation now! You are capable of much more than you realize.  You can have the life you've always dreamed of and this can be accomplished by committing to yourself and taking small baby steps every day.

Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any illness or disease.

The information provided in this blog is for general educational purposes, has not been reviewed nor approved by the FDA and is not intended to take the place of advice from your medical professional, licensed dietitian or nutritionist.

You are solely responsible for your health care and activity choices. Participation in this blog does not constitute a client-coach relationship.