Self-criticism can be helpful if it fosters humility, positive change, and the acknowledgment of flaws and failings. When self-criticism hinders one from prospering, the risks to one’s mental health exceed the positives. Some days, your inner voice might be a pain. Sometimes it could just be downright disrespectful.
When self-criticism takes over, it hurts. It doesn’t make you feel wonderful. Rarely do you ever perform better right then. It also snuffs away your enthusiasm and curiosity, making it challenging to continue making an effort over time. Everyone goes through it. Everyone has a harsh inner critic sometimes. But who’s to say you have to accept all of these disgusting, negative perceptions about yourself?
What’s self-criticism?
Criticism is a term for judgment, assessment, and opinion. Self-criticism requires directing all of this evaluation toward you. Our early relationships from childhood lay the foundation for self-criticism. Self-criticism might be triggered by:
- Rigid parents;
- Rivalry in the classroom;
- Demanding teachers or employers;
- Competitive activities.
It can be a result of your ingrained habits as well. For instance, pursuing academic excellence may have given rise to a severe inner critic. This could be detrimental to your general well-being and mental health. You may have lost self-confidence as a result of putting too much pressure on yourself to find a romantic partner.
No matter how it began, it is advantageous if you don’t think of your self-criticism as a personality trait. You are not defined by how you treat yourself. Additionally, who you are shouldn’t be determined by the internal debate you have with yourself. But be warned that getting over your own self-critical thoughts can be difficult. It takes a lot of work, and there are times when you can’t do it by yourself.
Any inner dialogue that can be preventing you from believing in your own potential and abilities is generally referred to as negative self-talk. A negative thought is one that casts doubt on your ability to improve your life or your confidence in your own ability to do so. Therefore, negative self-talk can be stressful as well as seriously impede your success.
Consequences of self-criticism
Negative self-talk can have quite detrimental impacts on us. In one thorough analysis, it was discovered that self-blame and ruminating over negative events were linked to a higher frequency of mental health problems.
A decrease in motivation and an increase in helplessness may result from negative thoughts. Since this internal dialogue has even been linked to depression, it’s crucial to quit having it. It may be more difficult to notice opportunities and less probable that you will seize them if you engage in negative self-talk. This suggests that both the perception and the ensuing behavioral changes are to blame for the increased sense of stress. Negative self-talk can also have the following effects:
- Limited thinking: the more you tell yourself you can’t do anything, the more you start to believe it.
- Perfectionism: You start to believe that “great” and “perfect” are inherently superior to one another and that perfection is actually attainable. On the other hand, simply high performers frequently surpass their colleagues who are perfectionists since they are typically less stressed and satisfied with a job well done.
- Depression-related feelings: A study found that negative self-talk may make depressive symptoms worse. If ignored, this might be very damaging.
Overcoming self-criticism
- Discredit Your Critic
Recognize how you are criticizing yourself so you can start to stop. When you talk to yourself in ways you wouldn’t to a child or a close friend, stop and think about it.
- Recognize that thoughts and feelings aren’t always accurate
Even if having negative thoughts about oneself may seem like sage advice, they are most definitely not trustworthy sources of knowledge. You are prone to prejudices and the influence of your emotions on your thoughts, just like everyone else.
- Keep being unfavorable
If you notice yourself criticizing yourself, you can lessen the damage it can cause by only allowing the voice to complain about certain things in your life or for one hour each day. As a result, the amount of negativity that can be caused by the situation is constrained.
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