3 tips for managing your inner self-critic, which we'll refer to as Bruno
We all have a "Bruno" living in our heads, and I'm sure many of you tried to get rid of it.
Wouldn't it be nice not having to battle with your inner critic every single time you try to do something?
Unfortunately, not many people manage to learn how to "Silenzio Bruno" properly.
They try and fail because the attempt is turning into some kind of weird inner battle (talking from experience here):
They try it, but it stays on a cognitive level - no real change.
They suppress it instead of accepting it.
Simply, there is no regular check-in or follow-up to the process.
The good news is you can learn from these mistakes and start to work on silencing your self-critic.
Here's how:
Step 1: Name it. Acknowledge it. See the title? Like that
The more character your self-critic gets, the easier it will be to communicate with it.
And yes, you don't have to call it Bruno, lol.
The sad part is that often when I talk to people, the most obvious form their self-critic takes when they think about it is a parent/teacher.
Now, you also need to learn to communicate with it. (I know, weird).
Get to know it (or him/her/them). What does it want to tell you? Why is it around so much?
(wait until you hear the next step, you will like that even less, I promise)
Step 2: Be nice to it
And make space for discomfort - as in, don't try to mask it with positivity which would often be toxic.
And breathe.
Rinse and repeat.
Indirect practice is the best.
Regular meditation, journalling, and yoga - all cultivate awareness which will help you in trigger situations.
So you can catch Bruno in action and respond with openness. (you might find if you have ADHD, this part will be rather tricky)
Step 3: Hear it out but then do what you were going to do anyway
The absolute key. Self-critic says you can't do it?
Just fucking do it.
At least try, and see what happens.
The self-critic may be right, which is fine. Or you might find that it was wrong.
It was trying to protect you from some serious fun.
The latter is often true, I find.
So sit here with me and say: "Silenzio Bruno." And get on with what you want to do. Bravely and openly.
*This article was adapted from a Twitter thread by Kohlrabi Sushi*
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