Quieting Your Inner Critic

Do you have an inner mean girl or guy? That voice that says you're not good enough, and that you're not going to get what you want in life? So many of us suffer from this ongoing negative narrative coming from within our own minds. In order to change this experience and step into our potential, we need to understand this voice and learn how to work with it. This meditation will help you with this process.

Transcript

Welcome to your Quieting Your Inner Critic meditation.

I'm your guide,

Terry Cole.

In today's meditation,

We're going to be quieting and soothing our inner critic.

So please find a comfortable place where you can sit or lie down now for the next 10 minutes or so.

Put your phone in airplane mode.

Light a candle if you have one.

Grab a soft throw blanket.

Maybe get out some lavender oil if you like that.

And give yourself the gift of uninterrupted time.

You can be sitting or lying down.

The most important thing is that you are totally cozy and comfortable.

Now put up your do not disturb sign.

Gently close your eyes.

And let's begin.

We're going to start this meditation with a full body relaxation.

I want you to visualize or imagine a beautiful amethyst light coming in through the crown chakra at the top of your head,

Moving from above to below.

Every part of your body that this light touches instantly and completely relaxes.

So visualize this light moving behind your eyes,

Relaxing all of the muscles around your eyes,

Releasing.

See and feel that light moving down your face into your jaw muscles,

Relaxing.

Feel the warmth of this light moving into your neck muscles and down to your trapezoid muscles moving into relaxing all of the muscles of your shoulders down your arms to your biceps,

Your triceps,

Your elbows,

Your forearms,

Your wrists,

All the way down to your hands and your fingers.

And now you can feel this light moving to the back of your body as well.

Relaxing your upper back,

Releasing your middle back,

Relaxing your lower back and your buttocks.

Your entire back is sinking into the chair or the couch or the bed that you're on,

Totally and completely relaxed.

See and feel this light move to the front of your body,

Relaxing the big muscles of your chest,

Moving down your side body,

Releasing.

Now I want you to visualize this beautiful light pouring into your entire torso,

Illuminating all of your internal organs as well,

Detoxifying and relaxing.

Feel this light move into your hips,

Relaxing the big muscles of your thighs,

Your hamstrings,

Moving down to your knees,

Your shins,

Your calves,

Your ankles,

All the way down to your feet and your toes.

And I want you to see this beautiful healing amethyst light encircling the outside of your body as well.

Just allow yourself to float in this cocoon or halo,

Beautiful,

Relaxing amethyst light.

Feel a deep sense of wellbeing bubbling up in the middle of your chest.

Now that you're relaxed from the top of your head to the tips of your toes,

It's easy for you to visualize everything with perfect clarity.

So I want you to visualize,

Do you have an inner mean girl,

An inner mean guy,

An inner mean committee?

You know that voice that says you're not good enough or you're not pretty or handsome enough,

That you can't do it,

That you're never going to get what you want in life.

Does any of that sound familiar to you?

So many of us suffer from this ongoing negative narrative that's coming from inside our own minds.

So what is that voice really?

In order for us to change this experience,

We need to understand that inner voice.

It's negative,

Fear-based part of our psyche.

It's one of the things that can really hold us back from going for what we want in life.

Because if we have an inner voice constantly telling us that we don't deserve it,

It makes us just continue living small.

If you're endlessly comparing yourself to other people or doubting your abilities,

Questioning whether you deserve success or happiness or love,

Those are all fear-based thoughts and they create real pain.

There are many,

Many reasons why we can have this inner punitive voice,

Not just our own fear or negativity,

But often it is the internalized voice of someone else.

For example,

It could be the voice of a very strict parent or a very religious grandmother or family member.

Anyone that told you that you weren't good enough or the way that you were is bad.

The truth is that often when we no longer hear that voice from those people themselves as we grow up and leave our homes and move away,

We often have already started internally repeating those things to ourselves.

In order to change this cycle,

We need to understand ourselves and have more compassion.

We need to turn down the volume.

We need to replace those negative thoughts about ourselves with positive thoughts about our capabilities,

About what we are able to do in this world.

You are lovable and worthy exactly the way that you are simply by virtue of being alive.

In order to create something different,

We must first think something different.

In order to make friends with your inner critic,

You need to see them differently.

Imagine that your inner critic is a scared kid.

Even though they may express their fear as judgment,

They indeed are afraid.

So the fear mind or the ego mind is looking to keep you safe,

But you don't need their kind of protection.

So we need a new dialogue.

We must start with small thoughts,

Changing small things so you can get off autopilot and you can be authentically present enough in the moment to shift that inner dialogue from judgment and comparison to love and compassion.

I speak to myself gently with kindness and compassion.

That is today's affirmation.

I speak to myself gently with kindness and compassion.

So please start silently repeating today's affirmation in your mind.

Allow these powerful words to gently flow through your mind and to imprint on your unconscious.

Allow your body to relax into this possibility that you can.

Speak to yourself gently with kindness and compassion.

So please start silently repeating our affirmation for today.

I'll keep my eye on the clock and I'll let you know when it's time to stop repeating the affirmation.

I speak to myself gently with kindness and compassion.

I'll keep my eye on the clock and I'll let you know when it's time to stop repeating the affirmation.

I'll keep my eye on the clock and I'll let you know when it's time to stop repeating the affirmation.

Please gently stop repeating today's affirmation.

I'll keep my eye on the clock and I'll let you know when it's time to stop repeating the affirmation.

I'll keep my eye on the clock and I'll let you know when it's time to stop repeating the affirmation.

Please do this meditation as often as you like,

Reminding yourself daily that you have the power to speak to yourself gently with kindness and compassion,

And as always,

Take care of you.

Reviews

Excellent meditation. Thank you 🙏🏻

Thank you for the insight. I will be more mindful.✨️

I had a hard day today and this helped. Thank you so much terri💙

Really loved this was totally relaxed. Im going to repeat it when i can because i think it is helpful 💕

thank u so much for this, i really feel better from the inside and out

I feel so loved and blessed🫶🏻 thank you for bringing peace and love with this meditation

Great! Lovely affirmation; I shall use it often!😊 Thank you 🙏🏼

Just what I needed today 😊😊

Thanks a million ! Very effecting and just what I needed.

I am so happy that I "found" you! You are helping me make a difference in my own life! Thank you! ❤️

Good solid and practical guidelines thank you

Awesome. Needed this.

Loved this!

Thank you! I found this when I needed it the most. I’m picking up your book for the 2nd time and am looking forward to your next live, I sadly missed your last. Much love and blessings ❤️