Are you your own worst critic? Do you feel like nothing you do could ever be good enough? We probably all do this at one time or another, but if you are constantly judging yourself for not being perfect, it may be time to take a good look at your internal self talk and make a different choice.
Be mindful of your inner voice
Chances are, putting yourself down has become an ingrained habit. Be especially wary of “all or nothing” thinking. One negative experience does not make you a failure. Become aware of your thought patterns. The next time you find yourself talking down to yourself, make a conscious effort to stop the thought and replace it with something kinder.
Don’t say things to yourself that you wouldn’t say to someone else
Talk to yourself the same way you would do a dear friend. Be patient and compassionate with yourself. Poor self talk is insidious: if you don’t talk to yourself with care and respect, how can you expect others to treat you that way?
Accept what you can’t change
Last Sunday, I wrote about accepting what is. This applies here, too: sometimes, we just make mistakes, and there’s nothing we can do to change that. Acceptance is a much more productive choice than beating ourselves up over something that is already done.
I don’t think cats even know the meaning of being too hard on yourself. I can’t see a cat thinking “oh man, I shouldn’t have let that mouse get away from me. I’m so stupid! I’ll never catch another mouse again!” If anything, she would probably think “I’m the great huntress! I could have caught that mouse if I really wanted to, but I had better things to do.”
Are you your own worst enemy? How do you stop yourself from being too hard on yourself?
Ingrid, you have become a long distance friend to me. I can’t tell you how much your posts have helped me cope with not only my felines but with my inner fears and worries. Positive thinking is so important. I battle with negative thoughts so much that it has ingrained itself into my life. Whenever it happens I try to reverse it to something positive. Many blessings to you and Allegra & Ruby.
Thank you for your lovely words, Robyn. I’m so glad my posts are helping you!
OT, I started feeding my three food-allergy boys Rad Cat raw turkey. It immediately helped Lil Guy’s soft stool problem. His two brothers also eat it, but they can eat canned food; Lil Guy can’t. We travel 150 miles roundtrip to buy Rad Cat, but it is worth it. There is no waste. (My boys probably waste 50 percent of canned food.) I’m happy that my boys are stable right now, and I feel balanced.
Lynette, I think you probably meant to post this comment to another post? 🙂