A very aggressive sports coach

This week I attended a webinar about negative self-talk.

I wanted to reflect on that topic because it takes regular reminders to stay on the positive side. The coach who guided the session asked a few questions. One of them was: ''What is your inner critical voice saying mostly? And what does it look like?''

In my mind the image of a sports coach came up.

My critical voice is often about speed. ‘’Go faster! In a better direction! And sooner!’’ It’s a very aggressive sports instructor. It’s a woman, and she is shouting in my ear to do it right. ‘’Gooooooooo! That’s the target, don’t miss it!! Don’t you dare to take a detour, this way! Go, go, go!’’

She knows the answers. She knows the goals. She is always right.

No time for breaks. No time to try stuff. No time to fail. No time to chill. Men, if I image her screaming at my face, my panic mode is full on.

What does your inner critical voice look like?

It helps to give your inner critic a name. It changes the attitude to ‘’I am…’’ To: ‘’My inner sports coach says that I…’’ It makes it a bit more distant from yourself.

Give your inner critical voice a name. What do you notice, doing that?