Train that inner critic to give you compliments
This is a good thing. Having different parts helps us function. For instance, one part may want to stay in bed all day, but another part yanks us up and out. One part may be busy getting on with life while another part hides out behind the scenes, protecting us from overwhelming grief, terror, or trauma.
Most of us are quite familiar with a part affectionately (or not) called “the inner critic.” This part reprimands us for being inadequate ( “You made a fool of yourself,” “You look terrible”) in an attempt to help us do better. The result is usually a lowered mood and feelings of helpless despair — but, hey, it means well.
But like all functions of the brain, personality parts are “neuroplastic.” They’re open to reorganization and change. If we don’t like what a part is doing, we can alter the way it works. If, for instance, a part is scaring us all day long (“Something bad will happen,” “This will probably be a disaster”), we can teach it to be more encouraging, supportive, and helpful.
There are many professional therapeutic techniques to accomplish this.
Create a free account to keep reading.
