Embracing Your Inner Critic script 1

Every part of us has our own inner critic. This voice is the part of the mind that is critical of our decisions and actions.

In the beginning, the voice of the critic may seem like it offers safety. It tells you that you’re doing everything wrong, and your choices are always bad. This voice tells you what you should be doing and how you should act.

We all struggle with this voice in different ways. Some people spend a lot of time listening to the voice, while others ignore it entirely.

With mindfulness, you can learn to listen to this voice and hear what it is trying to tell you. When you do this, you can make a choice to respond to the voice in a positive way.

The first step is to get comfortable with listening to the voice. Bring your attention to your body and notice if there is a part of your mind that is constantly telling you what you shouldn’t be doing.

If there is a part of your mind that is judging, start by bringing your attention to the thought and noticing what it is saying. You can just be aware of this voice the first few times, even though you aren’t really engaging with it.

After a while, you may notice that the critic doesn’t stop speaking.

This is when you can begin to engage with it. You can notice what the critic says, and you can practice listening to the criticisms and making a choice to react in a different way.

Listen to the critic, but do not take it personally. Instead, just notice the experience of hearing this voice. After a while, you may begin to make some changes.

Make a choice to engage the critic with kindness and acceptance. You can practice being kind and understanding toward this voice. You can even think of this voice as the critic within you.

As you practice with kindness, you will notice that the critic’s voice becomes softer. It becomes less controlling. With each time you are able to connect with this voice, it begins to loosen its hold over you. You may find that you are more willing to make different choices.

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Embracing Your Inner CriticScript 2

In mindfulness, there is no judging or criticizing. When you encounter thoughts that arise, the practice allows you to be present with them and not react to them.

It takes practice to learn how to do this. With the inner critic, it may be a struggle to stay with the thoughts and emotions that arise.

The critic is a part of yourself that tells you what is wrong with everything. It is the voice of perfectionism, telling you how you are doing everything wrong and where you are falling short.

If you have a tendency to judge yourself and others, the inner critic is a strong one. It tends to judge harshly and criticize whatever arises in the mind.

You may know this voice because it feels very familiar. Often it is the voice that makes you feel inadequate, unworthy, and unlovable.

If the inner critic is the strongest voice in your mind, this meditation will be most effective. You will learn to identify with the voice of the critic, even if you don’t like it.

Find a comfortable sitting posture and notice any feelings of discomfort in your body. Bring awareness to the breath and breathe into the discomfort.

Ask yourself: What does the critic say? It may say something like “You’re not good enough.”

What does the critic mean? It may be that you haven’t been successful in something. It may be that you are having trouble getting your life together.

When you catch the critic, recognize that it is a voice. It is not you. It’s just a voice. You are still in charge.

Ask yourself: How can I treat myself with kindness and compassion? The inner critic is a voice that tries to control you. You can’t get rid of it. But you can learn to accept it and not allow it to make you feel bad.

When it arises, notice it and then return to your breath.

Ask yourself: Is there anything I can do to change my relationship to this voice? Yes. You can practice being with it and then gently let it go.

This is a practice of non-judgment. It doesn’t mean you will be perfect.

It just means that you will allow yourself to be human and imperfect. You can be compassionate with yourself.

Practice with the voice of the critic for one to two minutes. Then, when it seems appropriate, turn your attention to the breath, noticing the inhale and exhale.

Breathe slowly and deeply.

Embracing Your Inner Critic Script 3

We all have inner critics, voices that criticize our behavior and the way we think. These critics can often be quite harsh. They may tell us we are worthless, or stupid, or crazy.

The criticism might come from the mind or body, or it may come from both. They seem to exist in our own heads and our own bodies.

The inner critic is there to give us feedback so that we can correct ourselves. But when the inner critic becomes too strong, it can feel unbearable.

When we encounter difficult situations, we may feel overwhelmed by the inner critic and feel like we are going crazy. Our inner critic can make us feel worse than we do when we are actually being criticized by others.

We become aware of this voice in the following exercise.

Close the eyes and bring your awareness to the sensations of the body. Where do you feel the inner critic?

Is it located in your head, in your body, or both? Does it seem a little loud? Is it gentle, or is it harsh?

Start to be with the experience of the critic. Ask yourself if you notice it inside of your body. How does it look? What color is it? Does it sound different from the rest of your body?

As you observe the inner critic, begin to notice how you respond to it.

Ask yourself what you feel like doing when the critic appears. Do you feel like you have to listen to it or argue back?

How would it feel to just accept and recognize that the critic is part of you?

For the next few minutes, allow the critic to be present. If it tries to take control, say to it, “I see you. I hear you. I accept you.” This is a powerful moment.

The critic may be a part of you, but you are bigger than it.

After a few moments, you can ask yourself, “What is the critic trying to teach me today?”

Bringing your attention back to the breath, you can notice how you feel as you continue.

Close the meditation with a few deep breaths.

Click here to get back to the list of self-compassion meditation scripts

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