Hello unique learners!
We have become familiar with our inner critic,
We gave them characteristics,
How they look like,
How they sound like,
What they are saying and we analysed what they were saying.
And now it's time to mute them and deal with them in an appropriate way.
However we cannot get rid of them as I keep saying and that is why it's so important to learn how to live with their inner critical voice and be able to mute them.
And my tip is keep practicing,
Keep practicing and becoming aware of your inner critical thoughts and the I in it.
The I voice that worries and is full of doubt is not the real you,
It is not the I that speaks from creativity,
Light or inspiration.
Rather,
As we probably have noticed already,
It's a protective defence that takes over when you are doing something important.
When you are stretching to express yourself creatively and authentically.
This critical voice comes with a territory of creative expression and we must learn how to write and create regardless.
Or just go on with our lives.
And here's how to work on your inner critic.
We've done that.
The first step is awareness and we aren't actually always aware of our negative self talk.
And the second step is give him or her a characteristic and see how they look like.
So that's what we've done with the visualisation.
We became aware of our thoughts but we started to learn not to pay much attention to them.
Again this is an ongoing practice but it's really important to keep on breathing and keep on going.
And what is the final step?
Well,
We've talked about compassion and self compassion.
We've been practicing that.
But what if we also visualise our sidekick?
Yeah,
Every superhero has their sidekick.
So are you ready to apply it?
So let's slow everything down.
Sit with a straight spine.
Place your hands open in your lap.
Make sure your feet are touching the floor so that you can connect to the ground beneath you.
You can close your eyes if you haven't done so already.
Then go inwards and ask yourself what emotions am I feeling?
And can you state that emotion out loud and give it a number on a scale from 1 to 10.
For example anxiety a 7.
You don't have to change anything.
Just allow those feelings and feel where they are situated in your body.
Perhaps you hold tension around your stomach or have a tight chest.
And I'm going to invite you to join me in the 4,
7,
8 breathing technique.
Where you close your lips and inhale through your nose for a count of 4.
You hold your breath for a count of 7.
And you exhale completely through your mouth making a whoosh sound for a count of 8.
Are you ready?
Breathe in 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Out breath 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Breathe in 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Out breath 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Breathe in 1,
2,
3,
4,
Hold 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
Out breath 2,
3,
4,
5,
6,
7,
8.
Excellent.
Return to your natural breath.
I'm going to ask you to visualize your inner critic and focus on one inner critical thought.
And don't dwell on what they are saying.
Focus on your breath and then focus on how they are looking,
How they sound and how they act and behave.
Now I'm going to ask you to visualize a supportive sidekick next to your inner critic.
This can be a coach,
A teacher,
A therapist,
A mentor or a friend.
Someone who has always been there for you,
Who can lift you up when you are down.
If you cannot think of anyone right now,
Choose a sidekick hero from anything from television which you can remember as long as they are a great sidekick for you.
And visualize what are some of their characteristics.
Are they energetic,
Loving,
Trustworthy?
How would they look at you right now and feel their presence?
Feel the beacon of light around you grow.
And what would your sidekick say?
I see that you need some help.
I am here.
Do people feel like this?
Or you are strong,
You are strong.
Maybe they say something like I am here for you,
You can do this.
You deserve it,
You can do this.
Now look at your inner critic,
In your full glory,
You and your sidekick.
You are all energized up.
And what is your inner critic trying to do?
Maybe they are screaming,
They want to fight you.
Or maybe they say that you will never beat them.
And together with your sidekick,
You might want to laugh at them as your beacon of light grows.
And you know now that maybe they are worried about you as they feel unsafe,
But they are causing you unnecessary pain.
And you want to be courageous and see how your inner critic starts to look worried.
They panic,
They look scared and breathe this in and out.
Although the inner critic was trying to protect you,
Their power is dissolving.
And say again,
I know you're worried about me and feel unsafe,
But you are causing me unnecessary pain.
Could you let me be courageous please?
And see how your inner critic flees the scene.
And how your sidekick starts laughing and you both say good riddance.
However,
As in every television show,
A villain always returns with a new sneaky plan.
But until you are ready for it with your sidekick,
You know what to do now.
You can show self compassion,
You can visualize them gone,
You can ask for help from your sidekick and you can breathe through it.
And my final question is now,
Can you feel your emotions and check whether or not they have changed?
Whatever happened,
That's okay.
Excellent,
Well done.
You can open your eyes if you haven't done so already,
Move around a little bit and come back slowly.
I hope you enjoyed this 3 day audio mindfulness course to mute your inner critic.
Keep practicing,
They will always come back.
But now you have learned some tools which will hopefully help you in the future.
I wish you a lovely day or night ahead.
Namaste.
