Three Practical Strategies for Managing Self-Criticism
If you sometimes struggle with self-criticism, you are not alone. Many of us criticize ourselves in one way or another, which can include doubting ourselves. It can sound like, “I’m not really qualified for this opportunity. I don’t know why I’m applying.” Or maybe you blame yourself, “this is all my fault”. Do you label yourself and say things like, “I’m such a loser” or “I’m a failure”. And lastly, do you write off positives? “I did well that time, but anyone could have”.
However, this mental habit is a particularly important one to break. It can be detrimental and keep you from being present to even contributing to symptoms of depression and anxiety. So I wanted to provide you with three practical strategies for managing self-criticism.
STRATEGY #1 FOR SELF-CRITICISM: Create an Asset Inventory for Yourself
You can write down all of the achievements you are proud of. I created this worksheet called, Your Asset Inventory to ask you some thought-provoking questions to help you create this list. You have to feel genuinely proud of those achievements. If an achievement does not raise feelings of joy and pride, don't write it down.
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STRATEGY #2 FOR SELF-CRITICISM: Create Feel-good Affirmations
Be careful with affirmations.
We can't jump from "I'm a failure" to "I'm a confident, high-achieving woman!" That is too far a leap.
Create an affirmation that is believable to you. You have to believe in the affirmation and feel motivated by it.
A good affirmation = Believable + Motivating
If an affirmation does not make you feel anything, it's time to create new ones.
You can start with "I am on my way to becoming a confident and empowered woman."
Or "I am on my way to making my first $100 in my business."
STRATEGY #3 FOR SELF-CRITICISM: Complete the Feel Worthy Finally action sheet
In the Feel Worthy Finally action sheet in your workbook, it's time to digest, dissect and analyze your most common self-critical thoughts.
The 8 questions will question the usefulness of holding self-critical thoughts in our minds.
Self-loving advice: Be kind to yourself. If you have been holding on to a self-critical thought for years, it will take some time to tweak that negative thought. Being aware of our critical thoughts is the first step to changing them.
