Don't Let Self-Criticism Hold You Back In Life

Self-criticism is pretty common as we are usually the world’s number one experts on our own faults and shortcomings. However, continually sending ourselves self-hating messages which can be caused by self-criticism generally leads to misery more often than to motivation. It also leads to lower self-esteem and overall lower self-confidence. The 2 Different Types Of Self-Criticismrn An example of the two different types of self-criticism is when you see a piece of delicious chocolate cake and you are planning to keep yourself from eating it in the interests of your health and weight. The first type of self-criticism is the voice that says, “Why am I always being so careful and depriving myself? I can eat that chocolate cake if I want!” But on the other hand, if you do decide to eat that same piece of cake, the second type of self-criticism is that voice which says, “I don’t have any will power. I’m treating my body like crap!” Self-criticism is the voice that tells you to stay up late working, and then when you feel sleepy in the morning, it is the same voice that gets angry at you for not getting enough sleep. Self-criticism can make you do something and it can also prevent you from doing something. It all depends on how you choose to look at any given situation. Don’t Be So Hard On Yourselfrn Research has indicated that people who treat themselves with more self-compassion and less criticism have less depression and anxiety, and they tend to be happier and more optimistic. Self-criticism is so common that many of us are not even aware that we are constantly doing it in our day to day lives. Learning how to recognize when you are over criticizing yourself is very important for you to be able to progress forward in your life and accomplish your goals. When you overly criticize every move you make then you can become very hesitant and this leads to procrastination which then leads to a lack of attempting things that may benefit you and your future. Don’t Criticize, Capitalize. An effective way to change patterns of self-criticism is to identify the positive outcomes from any given situation and then expressing to yourself the benefits you will gain. For example:- Instead of thinking “I’m going to fail this exam” flip it around and think “If I prepare myself for this exam then I am going to do well and this will improve my grades dramatically” rnInstead of thinking “Why do I always miss my deadlines?” flip it around and think “Getting this done in time is going to take a lot of focus, but the end result is going to be great for my career.” rnInstead of thinking “Why the heck don’t I know how to do this” flip it around and think “This will be a great learning experience and I will gain so much from teaching myself how to do this” rnInstead of thinking “I’m so overweight, whats the point in exercising?” flip it around and think “I want to lose this excess weight so I can become more confident!” rnNo matter what challenges you may face in any given situation, there is always something positive you can gain from having that experience. You should teach yourself Positive Thinking and learn how to capitalize on your experiences instead of putting yourself down or discouraging yourself through too much self-criticism. If you are able to do this then you will start to embrace challenges because you know you will gain something positive and benefit from having that experience.