Search Results for: critical inner voice

4 Steps to Conquer Your Inner Critic

…father psychologist and author Robert Firestone refers to as the critical inner voice. Watch a Whiteboard Video on The Critical Inner Voice The critical inner voice is formed out of painful early life experiences in which we witnessed or experienced hurtful attitudes toward us or those close to us. As we grow up, we unconsciously adopt and integrate this pattern of destructive thoughts toward ourselves and others. When we fail to identify and sep…

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I Hate My Body: Dealing with Poor Body Image

…psychologists like Dr. Lisa Firestone, co-author of Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice, “People’s views of their bodies are not only cruel but inaccurate.” We all harbor an inner critic that makes us its primary subject of attack. It’s that nagging voice that whispers in our ear when we’re getting dressed, “You’re too fat to wear that. Just cover up.” It’s also that loud scream that shouts, “You’re hideous. No one will ever be attracted to you!” I…

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ways to beat insecurity

Three Ways to Beat Your Insecurity

…g inner security, bolstering self-compassion, and countering the “critical inner voice” that resides in all of us. Developing Inner Security Each of us formed an attachment pattern in our earliest relationships that served as a model for all of our future relationships and helped shape our sense of self. Early experiences that create insecurity can leave us with lifelong patterns of relating and a tendency to look for and recreate relationships th…

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Fighting the Emotional Battles of Breast Cancer

…d actually attack them for getting sick. Ridding oneself of this “critical inner voice” can help women alleviate some of the pain and stress of their condition and focus on the many tools available that will help them get well. The DVD Breast Cancer: The Path of Wellness & Healing brings together premiere cancer doctors and wellness experts, along with breast cancer survivors to offer valuable information and advice for dealing with breast cancer…

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jealousy and jealous feelings

How to Deal with Jealousy

…in the present,” said Dr. Lisa Firestone, author of Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice. As she and her father Dr. Robert Firestone define it, the “critical inner voice” is a form of negative self-talk. It perpetuates destructive thoughts and feelings, driving us to compare, evaluate and judge ourselves (and often others) with great scrutiny. This is one reason why learning how to deal with jealousy is so important. This voice can fuel our feelings…

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Conquer Your Inner Critic by Lisa Firestone, Ph.D.

…of our own distorted self-perceptions. Step One: Identifying Our Critical Inner Voices In the blog “Evicting the Obnoxious Roommate Living in Your Head” I introduced the concept of the critical inner voice, an internalized critic that comments on our every action. These comments are not usually experienced as an actual voice speaking to us but rather as a thought process that casually yet ruthlessly puts us down and sabotages our successes. For e…

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Letting Go of Your Inner Critic, an Unwelcome Holiday Guest

…nd, depending on what side of ourselves we’re on, can lead to our critical inner voices undermining our self-esteem. Our critical inner voice represents a hostile and negative attitude we all have toward ourselves. If we feel especially lonely over the holidays, it’s that voice that whispers, “All alone again. What a loser. You’ll never find anyone who loves you.” When we go to a party, it tells us, “You’re not attractive. Who are you kidding? Why…

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coping with addiction

The Critical Inner Voice and Addiction

…a stream of self-critical and self-destructive thoughts.   This “critical inner voice” can be incredibly powerful when it comes to addiction and tends to run particularly rampant when someone is in isolation. This internal enemy fills our heads with self-doubt and self-hatred, attacking us in various areas of our lives be it our careers, our relationships, our identity, or our very sense of self-worth. Our critical inner voice preys on our setbac…

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How to Deal with Relationship Anxiety

…s.; it’s the things we tell ourselves about what’s going on. The “critical inner voice” is a term used to describe the mean coach we all have in our heads that criticizes us, feeds us bad advice and fuels our fear of intimacy. It’s the one that tells us: “You’re too ugly/fat/boring to keep his/her interest.” “You’ll never meet anyone, so why even try?” “You can’t trust him. He’s looking for someone better.” “She doesn’t really love you. Get out be…

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Empowering Yourself to Conquer an Addiction

…he thoughts that drive the behavior. Every one of us possesses a “critical inner voice” that attacks us and incites self-limiting and self-destructive behavior. This duplicitous thought process plays two sides of the coin when it comes to addictions. The self-soothing side of the voice can lure us into using. “You can have one glass of wine. You have this under control.” “You need this pill to relax. It’s okay, it’s a prescription.” “Take a piece…

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