I had an email asking about how to deal with a versatile inner critic that seems to be able to come up with something negative about just about any situation. This is what stops many people from writing their book or undertaking any kind of creative activity. It can also damage relationships, work and many other situations.
One very useful method is the "that's interesting" approach.
When the inner critic says something negative, you respond mentally with the statement "that's interesting" and go on with what you were doing anyway.
Treat it as though the inner critic had said "The sun came up today" or "Many people don't like eating spinach." Interesting (slightly) but nothing to influence your course of action.
Or you may choose to investigate, in a calm manner, the interesting statement your inner critic made. Treat it as something to be investigated with a spirit of inquiry rather than something to respond to emotionally.
Your first question can be, "Is that true?" or "Is that always true?" If the inner critic says, "You botch everything you try to do," you can can ask yourself whether that's true. And you'll find that it's not. Your inner critic may say, "You don't have the skill to write a book!" To which your answer can be, "I guess we'll find out."
You can use the same strategy if you start to feel worried or stressed--the trick is switching over early in the process, before the emotional element gets too strong.
Sometimes it's useful to switch over to seeing things in a dissociated state. You say "you" rather than "I"--in other words, rather than thinking, "I'm starting to feel really nervous about this deadlne," you picture yourself and think, "You're starting to feel really nervous about this deadline...that's interesting. Let's see what's triggering this and what would be the fastest way to change this to a constructive state."
Over time you'll notice that your inner critic stops bombarding you with a constant stream of criticism...isn't that interesting?
(I have a complete program for transforming your harsh inner critic to a constructive inner guide. You can get more information at http:www.TameYourInnerCritic.com/sales.html )
