Dark Season: Working With The Inner Critic

The darker seasons often bring a louder inner voice. The one that questions whether you’re doing enough, coping properly, or resting “correctly”.

This gentle meditation isn’t about silencing the inner critic or trying to fix it. Instead, it offers space to notice that voice with a little more softness and perspective.

A calm, seasonal practice for times when energy is low, self-judgement feels close, and you’re learning to meet yourself with a bit more kindness.

Suitable for listening lying down or seated. No prior meditation experience needed.

Background music by Chris Collins Creative

Transcript

Working with the inner critic.

Take a moment to get comfortable.

You might be sitting or lying down.

There's no right way to do this.

Let your eyes close or soften your gaze.

And begin by noticing the simple fact that you're here.

Nothing to fix.

Nothing to improve.

Just arriving.

Take a slow breath in through your nose.

And a gentle breath out through your mouth.

And again,

In your own time.

During the darker seasons of the year,

Many of us notice the inner critic becoming louder.

That voice that questions whether we're doing enough.

Whether we're coping properly.

Whether we should be feeling better by now.

And this meditation isn't about getting rid of that voice.

It's not about arguing with it.

Instead,

You're creating a little space.

So we can hear it without being run by it.

Often the inner critic is tired,

Protective,

Trying in its own clumsy way to keep us safe.

Now bring your attention gently into your body.

Notice where you're making contact with the floor,

The chair or the bed beneath you.

Let the weight of your body be held.

Now imagine the inner critic as a presence.

Not a character you have to visualize clearly.

Just a sense of it.

You might notice it as a feeling.

A tone.

A familiar inner commentary.

There's no need to push it away.

Silently,

You might acknowledge it with a simple phrase.

I see you.

Or I hear you.

Notice what happens when you stop resisting.

If the critic feels harsh,

See if you can soften around it.

As if you're listening to someone who's had a very long day.

You don't need to agree with what it says.

You're just allowing it to be heard.

And if it helps,

You might gently remind yourself.

This is part of me.

Not all of me.

Return again to the breath.

Slow.

Natural.

Unforced.

Each exhale creates a little more space.

In the dark season,

Energy naturally draws inward.

Reflection replaces momentum.

Rest replaces growth.

And the inner critic often struggles with this.

It prefers brightness,

Movement,

Certainty.

So if it's louder right now,

That doesn't mean you're failing.

It often means you're slowing down enough to notice it.

See if you can let that be okay.

Nothing needs to change in this moment.

Begin to notice the body again.

The room around you.

And when you're ready,

Gently open your eyes or lift your gaze.

If this practice felt supportive,

You're very welcome to follow me here on Insight Timer.

I share seasonal meditations like this throughout the year.

Take your time.

Moving on with your day.