We all have that little voice that tells us that something is wrong. Not to be confused with the voice of intuition that guides us in our path, but this little voice judges, criticize, and feeds from unhealthy perfectionism. The voice that we’re talking about is called the inner critic. In this article, we will discuss understanding and quieting our inner critic, as mentioned in Randi Braun’s book Something Major.
Braun associated the inner critic in Something Major with Regina George, a character from the iconic film Mean Girls. The inner critic believes that it knows what’s good for us, but it has its own agenda that will do us more bad than good in the long run. Our inner critic can be inherently mean most of the time. Still, it’s not entirely evil, as its only goal is to give us warning signs and protect us from risks, embarrassment, failure, rejection, and vulnerability. For us to avoid those things in the future, our inner critic tends to become more judgmental, repetitive, and loud—this can be too much for some people.
It is essential to learn how to handle one’s inner critic, especially if something gets out of hand already. By having awareness about the whereabouts of your inner critic, you’ll know the actions that you need to follow. Confront your inner critic with the voice of reason. The voice of reason is the part of ourselves that asks curious questions, assesses options, and seeks solutions. Whenever you feel like you’ve been caught in the spiral of the inner critic, tap into your voice of reason, it will help you reason about the situation.
At the end of the day, remember that we are all humans. It is normal to make mistakes. The inner critic is there to protect us, but don’t let your inner critic get the most out of you. Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work is a self-help book by certified executive coach Randi Braun, releases this March 1 under New Degree Press. The book offers stories for women leader’s out there that are written to empower women while keeping them engaged and entertained. If you want to learn more about quieting your inner critic, alongside other essential issues tackled in this book, make sure to grab your copy!
You can check out Something Major: The New Playbook for Women At Work on Amazon, releases this March 1 to rave reviews!
For more information about Randi Braun’s work, events, and background, you can visit her at Something Major Coaching website. Find her on Linkedin and Instagram.