How to Have Negative Thoughts Help You Instead of Burden

To handle our inner critic well, we should practice responding to it. The problem is not we don’t know how to deal with it but we lack practice. If you try to push down the inner critic, it will only go to your unconscious. Then until you deal with the inner critic, it’s only going to keep recurring.

It’s okay to have an inner critic, but it’s not okay to try to push it out. Only when you try to embrace the inner critic can you handle it well. It takes at least 9 weeks of listening to your inner critic to remain composed. By doing this, you can finally be more objective about things to manage well.

To deal with the inner critic, know its cause to deconstruct it properly. After this, it will take 7 weeks for you to handle this effortlessly and naturally. Recognize that the inner critic is trying to help and discuss things with it. There are many ways to suppress this but things will just get even worse.

Negative thoughts may not feel great but it’s best to cooperate with them. If you listen to it well and process it well, then you’ll get good information. To learn from negative thoughts, you need to first pay attention to them. Notice how often that inner critic speaks up and says the specific things it says.

It’s useful to write the theme of what the inner critic says after being aware. It can even help to Google graphics about the inner critique to verbalize. After writing down what it says you can reflect on why it says that. Then from there, you can continue to reflect and write down everything said.

Reflect on the impact of the negative thoughts after reflecting on them. After this, work on understanding the root of all this to truly understand it. Think back to when those thoughts were perhaps said to you in the past. By doing this, you will realize that you’re trying to help yourself.

After knowing what the inner critic is helping you with, reframe these ideas. You can spin things in a more positive light so that it’s more helpful for you. After processing these thoughts, you know how to reframe them instantly. Tell yourself that whenever the thought arises, counter it with your reframe.

Source: Dr. Carlone Leaf