How to Tell the Difference Between Your Instincts and the Voice of Your Inner Critic

You may have noticed you have more than one voice in your head.

(And no, I'm not talking about a mental disorder where people hear voices!)

I'm talking about the constant chatter, the continual string of thinking, the monkey mind that is always talking to you, as it is to every other human on the planet because that's how our brains are made.

Within this constant chatter you may have noticed there's more than one voice.

One voice can be described as the voice of your instincts or your inner wisdom.

It's the part of you that seems to know what to do in a pinch. It's where you tune into that deep knowing for decision making even though you may not have the rationale to back it up. You may feel it in your gut or ‘in your bones’ as the right next action step.

There’s an interesting neuroscience explanation for why this voice is non-verbal. To learn more about that access my workshop video on LinkedIn to learn The Science Behind Your Gut Instinct and Why You Should Be Using it More.

The other voice can be described as your inner critic, sometimes also referred to as your negative thinking or your ego. I’ll refer to it as your ego going forward.

It's the part of you that seems to question and analyze everything in your life whether it be a decision you make, a judgment or pre-conceived notion of what to expect in others, rumination and regretting on past decisions. It’s VERY analytical, it spends a LOT of time in worry and thoughts seem to run in a circular pattern which rarely come to a clear decision.

Here's the cool part –

One of these voices, your instinct, is part of your innate intelligence and it's engineered to help you thrive by helping you make the best decision each time for your best possible life outcome.

The other voice, your ego, is designed to analyze everything and help you survive based on past life experiences and what’s familiar. It wants you to keep proving yourself, to do more, and no matter how much you do it never feels like enough.

The voice of your ego is created by past experiences and what you grew up to believe to be true. For example you may have grown up feeling as if you need to achieve something for recognition, that there’s never enough, money doesn’t grow on trees, or any other common sayings that you used to hear from your parents on a regular basis.

So how do you tell the difference?

It’s quite simple.

It’s by noticing the feeling that is associated with the thought.

Your wisdom or instincts comes through on a nice feeling. The feeling can be described as light, open, clear, free.

In contrast, thoughts from your ego typically feel tight, tense, stressed, constricted, doubtful, or anxious.

The voice of your ego is so foundational within your view of the world that it can take some time to unwind the thoughts that you’re used to thinking and what you believe to be true.

For example if you are someone who strives for achievement and has difficulty turning that part of yourself ‘off’ you can begin by noticing the recurring thought that comes along with it, such as thinking that it’s never enough.

(By the way I’m using the ‘never enough’ example because that has always been my root thought leading me to feel stressed, anxious, and tense, and I’ve found it to be the same for many others as well).

Once you’ve identified your root thought, you can begin to recognize it when it arises in the future and choose to not fire it up with your attention.

With practice, old thoughts become similar to noticing an old record that’s skipping. Instead of becoming stuck you can quickly detach from it and move on.

This work is different than mindset work or traditional therapy, where you’re encouraged to switch the thought out for a ‘better’ thought.

This work is about accessing the space within you that is always content, calm and peaceful. It’s available to you 24/7. It’s your true nature. And it’s located just behind your busy thinking thoughts.

Let’s get you feeling content, calm and peaceful every day so that it becomes your new baseline state.