Self-Care Week 6

Self-care strategy #6: Keeping the self-critic in check

Throughout this self-care journey, we've gone over the basics (although often neglected) like making sure you take time to eat, are actively prioritizing sleep and how to seek support while maintaining effective, self-respecting boundaries with the people in your life. 

Next up, we gotta make sure we aren't sabotaging these self-care practices with toxic thoughts from within. 

This week's key to self-care is always speaking truth to your inner most sensitive self. Don't allow the ever-so-tempting wave of critical self talk wash over you and taint your thoughts and then your actions.

I call this the self-critic takeover. 

Overachieving-typeA-first borns out there (and many others of you), I know you know the feeling.

(You think) you aren't meeting the (unrealistically high) standards you've set for yourself.  Whatever you may be attempting to tackle (professionally, personally, socially), you aren't doing it well enough or quick enough, and you beat yourself up for not having it done and done quite well, by last week.

In reality, you are simply being WAY too hard on yourself.. telling yourself so many little lies that lack self-love and self-respect that you deserve. 

Because you are amazing.

In these moments, love on yourself a little more. 

Forgive yourself. 

Focus on all the ways you are magic... not what you think you are missing or messing up.

For some this will be THE most important way to embrace and embody self-care; by simply kicking your self-critic to the curb.

For others, you're very well acquainted with this critical feeling, but haven't necessarily identified it as a "self-critic" nor do you think these thoughts contribute to the depletion your self-love or self-care. 

Now I can agree, a 'self-critic' from place of productivity and positivity (better known as a positive self-identity) can take you a lonnnnng way, even push you to the top!  But too often your self-critic will take over. The self-critic lies to us, that we have to do more, work harder and for longer hours and push our self-care regimen to wayside. That we can't have thoughts of satisfaction, reassurance, or security because a super critical lashing is what we deserve.

You simply cannot accomplish self-care without self-respect. And your self-critic does not respect you!

Keep that self-critic in check! and realize it may need a good KO, Mike Tyson style.

I challenge you to explore your self-critic's vernacular this week and make sure you're consistently caring for yourself with kind and encouraging (nontoxic) thoughts and words. Your self-identity needs to know the comfort of self-care.