Treat Your Inner Critic as Your Friend

Having a perfectionist personality comes with its own share of problems. The main one being that inner critic that does not see the hard work but rather the imperfections. It points out minuscule opinions that can negatively impact mental health. Taking steps that will make the inner critic a friend rather than an annoyance can change the pattern of growth. The voice of the inner critic relies on insecurities to bring you down rather than build you up. In many ways our inner critic is also what ignites the fire to pursue ambitions so by making a path where the inner critic does not stand in the way of making progress, there is a greater scope of creating boundaries that can impact mental health in a positive way. One of the ways you can rewire your inner critic is to think of it as a playlist where there are many options to change the song or the artist. Giving the inner critic a set of characteristics that clearly define the boundaries between a critic that is unhelpful and does not promote self-growth and a critic that improves qualities that can let you grow in a positive manner. Self-criticism can also be managed by increasing a way for more self-compassion. Often times we neglect giving ourselves the same care that we give to others. This hurts our emotional self and can set us back in the pattern of growth that is necessary to be successful. The characteristic of self-compassion can give us the start we need to get up after a failure and make our way back on the path. Finding the balance between positive and negative self-criticism is a delicate one but once it is figured out, there is more scope for being the best version that allows for the most success.

~Angela Jetty