Hi,
If you found yourself here with me,
Chances are the voice in your head has been rough with you today.
Maybe you made a mistake.
Maybe you fell short of your own standards.
Maybe that voice is loud for no reason at all.
You don't need to silence it.
We're just going to meet it.
And choose how to respond.
Let's begin.
Settling in wherever you are.
Letting your eyes close if that feels okay.
Taking one slow breath in.
And a long,
Slow breath out.
And first acknowledging that something feels hard right now.
You're hurting a little.
Or a lot.
There's no need to justify it.
Or minimize it.
Just naming it simply and honestly.
This is a hard moment.
And noticing where the inner critic seems to live in your body.
Maybe it's a tightness in the chest,
A clenched jaw,
Hands curled,
Shoulders braced as if for impact.
The harsh voice isn't just in your head.
Your whole body has been listening.
Finding that place in the body.
And seeing if you can soften it just a little bit.
Letting the jaw unclench.
Letting the shoulders drop.
You don't have to brace against yourself.
If someone you love came to you with this exact struggle.
What would you say to them?
You would probably be kind.
Because kindness is what actually helps.
In these moments.
So placing a hand over your heart.
If you'd like.
Feeling its warmth.
And offering yourself what you'd offer them.
This is hard and you're doing your best.
Being imperfect is part of being human.
I am on your side.
I am with you.
Choosing the words that land.
And offering them to yourself.
Letting them sink beneath the surface.
Pass the part of you that argues,
That resists,
Down to the part of you that's tired and has been waiting to hear these words.
Maybe a part of you resists this.
Maybe there's a part of you that says being harsh with yourself.
Is how you improve.
But being harsh with yourself puts your body under attack.
And nothing learns,
Or grows,
Or thinks clearly while it's under attack.
Kindness settles the body enough to look at things honestly.
When you're kind to yourself after a mistake.
You're more likely to own it and to try again.
When a mistake doesn't threaten your worth.
You can look at it more clearly.
And from this kinder place,
If it feels right,
You might ask yourself a gentle question.
What is this moment teaching me?
How am I being asked to grow?
One more breath in.
Letting it fill the space around your heart.
And a long,
Slow breath out,
Releasing what's left of the harshness.
And now closing our practice with a few gentle affirmations.
I am allowed to be imperfect.
I am a friend to myself.
I talk to myself like someone I love.
Being kind to myself makes me stronger.
Each mistake is teaching me something.
I am on my own side.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
That inner critic voice may pipe up again today.
That's OK.
Now you know how to answer it.
Take care,
And I'll see you again soon.
