Rewriting Your Inner Critic: A Guide to Overcoming Negative Self-Talk
“The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves determine the course of our lives.”
– Brene Brown
When was the last time that you took a moment to reflect on the perspective through which you are narrating your own life, and whether that perspective is either productive, or perhaps even detrimental, to your growth?
In the endless hustle of modern life, we oftentimes absorb the overwhelming energies of our day-to-day routines and begin entertaining negative mindset patterns as a result. We can lose sight of the fact that, while challenges and disheartening situations do arise, they do not need to define who we are, our lifestyle, and how we choose to think and feel. As Terry Dubroy illuminates in our podcast episode, “The Thriving Mindset: Navigating Fixed Mindset Beliefs”:
“It’s crucial to become aware of the narratives that we tell ourselves, and even just the fact that we’re writing our own script to begin with. So many people are not aware that they have a say over their inner narrative, and so they believe in the toxic thoughts and beliefs that come up for them by default. Negativity just gets continuously reinforced, and it becomes detrimental to their development, mental health, and overall well-being.”
The power of taking a simple moment to exercise self-awareness about the lens through which we are choosing to view our inner and outer world alike cannot be overstated. Let’s explore how to bring more awareness to how you conduct your inner narratives, how you can rewrite them effectively during times of stress and hardship, and even how you can give back to others by doing so.
In our post “What Is a Thriving Mindset”, we outlined the qualities of a thriving mindset, the obstacles that get in our way on the path to embodying them, and how we can step out of our comfort zone to make positive changes.
The template below examines what a positive or productive thought associated with each quality of a thriving mindset might be, along with its more negative and detrimental antithesis. When reading through, which thoughts do you find yourself resonating with, experiencing, or entertaining the most?
A Template for Rewriting Negative Inner Narratives
Journalling Prompts for Rewriting Your Inner Critic
While sometimes we have deeply entrenched thought patterns that we require professional support to change, it is vital to be honest with ourselves about what we can do to be our own source for mental growth. We develop inner strength by remembering that we are the narrators of our own story, and that when the script is reflecting inner and outer conflicts, we can choose to develop our character by choosing productive thought patterns that lead to a meaningful, inspired story arc.
I invite you to meditate on the reflection questions that speak to you the most below to solidify and implement all that you learned from this post.
What negative/detrimental narrative do I struggle with the most? Is there a short practice I can implement into my daily or weekly routine to rewrite it?
What positive/productive narrative do I embody the most? Have I given myself gratitude for how far I have come, and if not, what’s one way that I can do so?
Do I feel that I have mastered any positive/productive thoughts? If so, what’s one way that I could give back to my community, such as by sharing the story behind my growth or giving others advice and support?
