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Ariel Sheeger

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Silence Your Inner Critic

Every single human being has two voices battling it out inside their head. The one voice is our champion, encouraging us to feel confident and to reach our fullest potential.

Then there’s that other voice. The one that is critical of every move we make. The one that looks at all of our perceived flaws under a microscope and calls them out with a thunderous voice. The one who tells us we can’t do anything right and we’ll never amount to anything.

Now which voice is doing the most talking in your life? If you’re like most people, your inner critic is running the show. Ever wish you could tell it to just shut up?

Here are some powerful ways you can silence your inner critic once and for all:

Be More Mindful

In order to silence your inner critic, you must first become aware of it. You cannot change what you are not aware of, right? And this is where mindful meditation comes in.

When we practice being mindful, we tune into the here and now and become FULLY aware of the present. The more you practice mindfulness, the more aware you will be when that negative voice inside you begins to speak.

In addition, mindfulness teaches us that we are not our thoughts, we are the observer of them. Soon you will begin to choose which thoughts to focus on more carefully. This is a powerful shift that can change your life!

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

In a world where 24/7 social media would have us believe that everyone else is smarter, thinner, richer and generally better than we are, it’s hard not to compare ourselves to others. But doing so only gives your inner critic weapons to use against you.

Practice Self-Compassion

You would never treat others the way you treat yourself. Begin to treat yourself with the compassion you would a small child or a wounded kitten you find. No one is perfect. But all of us are worthy of love, kindness and respect. We must begin to show ourselves more love, kindness and respect and we can do that by practicing self-compassion.

Hopefully these tips help you to silence that inner critic once and for all. And if you’d like more help on building your confidence and self-esteem, please get in touch with me. I work with people to empower them so they can build the life they dream about.

SOURCES:

https://www.omaritani.com/blog/how-to-silence-your-inner-critic

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201903/silencing-your-inner-critic

How to Tame and Silence Your Inner Critic: 5 Ways

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How to Regulate Your Emotions with Mindfulness

Life has been beyond challenging for most of us the last couple of years as we’ve dealt with a global pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. And just when we thought we were all out of the woods and life was back to normal, we now find ourselves facing sky high inflation, a recession, and the threat of WW III. Needless to say, these events can trigger some pretty strong emotions in us.

We never want to fully deny our emotions. Feeling them is how we process the events of our lives. But there comes the point where we need to figure out a way to move through the emotions and get safely to the other side. One of the most effective ways to do this is through mindfulness.

What is Mindfulness & How Can It Help?

Mindfulness is a simple, non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. It is a powerful way to connect with our bodies and emotions, but in a higher state of awareness.

Mindfulness helps us regulate our emotions by putting us in a calm and relaxed state of presence. From here we can have a more mature and sensible point of view of the events in our lives. 

Second, when practiced regularly, mindfulness can help us develop skills that promote emotional maturity and self-regulation. These skills include self-awareness and attentional control.

And finally, mindfulness can increase the time between trigger and response. In this way, mindfulness acts a bit like an advanced warning system, alerting us to a potential ugly scene, giving us time to engage in emotional self-monitoring. This gives us the opportunity to choose our emotional response very, very carefully.

Getting Started with Mindfulness

There are many online resources for getting started with a mindfulness meditation practice. Spend some time searching Google and exploring Youtube for some helpful sites and videos.

If you are interested in working privately with someone on regulating your emotions, please reach out to me. I use mindfulness in my practice with clients and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Sources:

Four Ways Mindfulness Can Help Regulate Your Emotion

How Mindfulness Works to Regulate Emotion in Your Brain

https://mentalhealthmatch.com/articles/skills/what-is-mindfulness-and-how-to-use-it-to-regulate-emotions

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How to Support Your Mental Health Between Therapy Sessions

Therapy is a wonderful way to explore your inner world, process your feelings, and inspire transformation. But what my clients often tell me is that a day or so after our session, they begin to feel a little lost and anxious again.

It’s important to support the progress you’ve made with your therapist in between your sessions. Here is what I advise my own clients to do in between our sessions:

Keep Your A-ha Moments in Mind

Therapy is a space for profound A-ha moments. It’s important to hold onto those in the days after your session. Think more deeply about what was uncovered and see if any other pieces of information come to the surface. It’s a great idea to have a dedicated notebook to jot down anything that may come to you. Bring this with you to your next session so you can share your additional insights with your therapist.

Read

Ask your therapist to recommend some helpful books, blogs, or articles that may offer deeper insights into your issue. While reading about your issue will not resolve it on its own, it’s a great way to supplement your therapy sessions.

Journal

I have been an advocate for journaling for quite some time, so I was thrilled when research in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that journaling has both mental and physical benefits. Journaling not only helps to manage stress and reduce anxiety, but it also can alleviate the symptoms of depression.

If you did just these three things, you would find your time in between sessions would be more enjoyable and help to facilitate further positive change.

SOURCES:

https://www.foundationscounselingllc.com/blog/what-to-do-between-therapy-sessions.php

https://themighty.com/topic/mental-health/mental-health-support-tools-to-use-between-therapy-sessions/

4 Things to Do Between Therapy Sessions

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How to Tell When You’re Feeling Burned Out

Many people think of burnout as simply being incredibly tired after a long week or month of work or school studies. But burnout is much more than a physical exhaustion; it has in fact been called the “triad of depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and feelings of detachment.” 

Here are some additional signs of burnout:

Pessimism

Pessimism is a major red flag that someone is experiencing burnout. And they won’t just feel pessimistic about whatever it is that is causing them big stress (job, school, relationship), they will feel pessimistic about life and the world at large.

Sleep Issues

Burnout makes it incredibly hard to get a good night’s rest. Either a person finds it hard to fall asleep, lying there wide awake for hours, or they fall asleep but then wake up throughout the night. When we don’t get enough quality sleep, it makes it difficult to cope with stress, which makes it hard to sleep, and the vicious cycle continues.

Sudden Physical Ailments

A major sign of burnout is suddenly experiencing physical symptoms that you never have before. For instance, many of my clients, with no prior history of GI upset or headaches, will begin to have chronic issues. 

Is it Time to Speak with Someone?

Burnout shouldn’t be taken lightly. You shouldn’t try to ‘tough it out’ and get on with things. Now is the time to make your mental health a priority. If you would like to speak with someone about what has been bothering you, please reach out to me.

Sources:

https://www.everydayhealth.com/burnout/unusual-signs-of-burnout/

https://positivepsychology.com/burnout/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/burnout

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