Befriending your inner critic script 1

Mindfulness teaches you to welcome the feelings of doubt and criticism that arise in you.

The practice of befriending the critic allows you to work with these emotions. They are powerful, and they tend to lead you to fear, doubt, and suffering. But when you befriend them, you can use their energy to create positive change.

Your critic is often the voice in your head that keeps you small and afraid. It tells you that you aren’t enough, that you are no good, that you are stupid, and that you can never do anything right. It’s this voice that can keep you stuck and feeling like you have nothing to offer the world.

Bring awareness to your critic and acknowledge its presence in the body. You may notice that your critic tends to be quite loud.

In your imagination, try to make it a friend, and name it by a nickname. You can call it anything you want: “The critic,” “the voice in my head,” “the nagging critic,” or “the doubting mind.”

Ask the critic to become a friend, and to tell you what it likes about you. You might begin by asking: What would you like about me if we were friends?

Say this aloud with a smile. Say that you appreciate your critic because it tells you the truth.

Ask your critic what it thinks about your weaknesses, what it thinks about your talents and skills.

When it becomes clear that your critic likes you, you can ask it what it really thinks about you.

You may find that it gives you a compliment, telling you that you are strong, intelligent, capable, or beautiful.

Ask your critic if it would be happy if you met its standards, and if you didn’t, what would it think about that?

You can ask your critic how it would like your life to be.

It may answer that your life is a mess, or that you have wasted your potential. It may say that you aren’t doing enough, and that your life isn’t meaningful.

When you get to the point of accepting these thoughts, ask your critic what would change if you were to change.

For example, maybe your critic wants you to be more assertive and less insecure. Ask it what would change if you were more confident.

At times, your critic may give you a harsh criticism or judgment. When that happens, remind it that it is just a thought, not reality.

Try saying something like: That thought is just a thought. I like myself regardless of what it says.

Repeat this whenever your critic offers criticism or judgment. When you are ready to close the meditation, allow yourself to rest and feel good about yourself.

Befriending your inner critic script 2

The mind is a critic. We all have it.

It’s always judging what you say and how you feel, telling you to do better, that you’re doing bad, that you’re a loser, that you’re no good.

In this exercise, you will befriend your critic and learn how to work with it rather than against it.

It can be helpful to begin this practice with a phrase you would like to see as truth in your life. For example, you could use the phrase, “I am kind.”

Find a comfortable posture, and invite a peaceful mind to the body. Bring your attention to the breath and notice how your mind is in the moment.

Recognize that your mind is always judging things. Notice how the mind has made judgments about you in the past.

In this exercise, you will focus on the critic that is always making these judgments. Notice the critic in the present moment. When it judges you, just notice that it’s happening.

When you judge someone else, notice that you are doing the same thing. There is no need to judge others; it is just the critic that you have been talking to all along.

You can practice befriending your critic by noticing the mind that judges you, noticing the mind that judges others, and noticing the critic that is judging you.

If you find that it’s difficult to make a distinction between the critic that judges you and the critic that judges others, focus on the part of your mind that is judging. You can even say to yourself, “May I have peace in my mind.”

After a few minutes of befriending your critic, close your eyes and bring to mind a memory of a time that you were very judgmental of yourself.

How did you feel when you judged yourself? What about your self-worth, or the belief that you are a failure? How do you think you may have been harming yourself in this memory?

Notice any emotion or physical sensations in the body. Recognize the feeling of self-judgment in the mind, and allow the emotions and sensations to be there.

Bring to mind a moment in the past in which you have felt loved.

What did you notice about the mind and body when you felt safe and cared for? When you’re thinking about a memory of being cared for, notice the mind that is the critic, as well as the mind that is the judge.

You can also practice befriending your critic by noticing the mind that judges you, noticing the mind that judges others, and noticing the critic that is judging you.

When you find that you are judging yourself, just notice that you are doing the same thing. This is a moment to simply be aware of the mind that is judging you.

You can also practice befriending your critic by noticing the critic that is always making judgments about you, noticing the critic that is always making judgments about others, and noticing the critic that is judging you.

You may find that you have to become the observer of your own mind, watching the critic that is judging you, to be able to notice the critic that is judging you.

After a few minutes, open your eyes, and return to the breath.

Befriending your inner critic script 3

If you have ever noticed yourself feeling negative emotions like anger, disappointment, fear, or sadness, you may have felt as if there were some separate entity inside of you that was expressing those emotions.

This inner critic often gets a bad rap, but it is a natural part of life, not something to be ashamed of.

To befriend your inner critic, we will bring compassion to our feelings, recognizing that these feelings are only thoughts.

When you notice yourself feeling sad or angry, invite yourself to experience that sadness or anger without judgment. There is no right way to feel—just allow yourself to feel.

You can also invite kindness to the emotion of fear. Try saying to yourself, “I know I am scared, and I am grateful that I have chosen this moment to be present.”

After a few minutes, bring your attention back to the breath as it flows in and out of the body. Breathe for five more minutes. Open your eyes.

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