Heavy change can trigger our inner critic – taming it is a useful skill!
By inner critic, I mean the negative self-talk that tells us how we should have done something, asks If we know what we are doing, compares us unfavourably to others and generally takes up real estate in our heads that we just can’t afford to give away. The image I’ve used for this blog really helps in what I am sharing in this blog. It’s the whirlpool in this image.
I had a client ask me this week does it ever go away!? And, the honest answer is probably not. It is often deep-seeded in all sorts of formative experiences. Dang it.
So, how do we tame it or at least, reduce the noise and damage it can do?
- Observe it – when does it show up? what ramps it up? Is there a pattern? What does it feel like? Get to know the signs that it’s around
- Acknowledge that it’s there, not what it’s saying – the aim is to drive past it, not into it
- Pattern interrupt – move! Take 5-10 mins to move – dance, sing, walk, swim, run, in-seat stretching. Call it a distraction technique but this moves a whole lot of electrical impulses and endorphins which can help you steer away from it
- Picture the goal and you having achieved it – what’s the next step you will take towards your goal or outcome for the day? Picture a car in the image above, staying on the road and heading away from the hole. Where is the next destination and what will you do when you are there, not turning around and driving back into the hole!
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Photo courtesy Medium.
