While doing a bit of research on the mind and negative thought patterns, I came across an inner critic quiz that helps you discover your inner critic patterns so you can create a plan for how to change them. Now I won’t list the 7 types of critics revealed in the quiz (you can discover them by taking the quiz via the link below), but I do want to start this post by defining ‘inner critic’.
“Self-care is an attitude towards our selves and our lives that says, I am responsible for myself.” ~ Melody Beattie
Constant fatigue. Exhaustion. Migraines. Stomaches. Brain fog. Irritability. Impatience. Lack of focus. Disengagement. Discouragement. Distress. Unmotivated. Frustrated. Cynical. Sleep deprived. Stressed. Unhappy. Uptight. These are the symptoms of burnout I experienced during the most stressful season of my life–5 years ago.
11 years ago on May 1st, I lost my mother to ovarian cancer. She had battled the disease for 3 years and died a few weeks after her 49th birthday. I remember my mother saying during her last few weeks of life that she had to get better because she still had a purpose to fulfill on this earth. When I heard these words, I remember saying in my heart:
“I don’t want to arrive at the end of my life believing I have yet to fulfill my God-given purpose. I want to be able to say with confidence that I have fulfilled it.”
Does the little voice in your head tell you:
“You’ll never succeed. You’re worthless. Your life is a mess. You can’t get yourself together. You’re a failure. You can’t do anything right. You’ll never do anything great or meaningful.
I can still remember how I felt a few years ago when I was told how my personality got on a certain individual’s nerves. Let’s just say I didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy inside. On the contrary, that statement really hurt me.
Fish living in a goldfish bowl are not living their best life. Because most fish bowls lack a filtration system to keep their environment clean and free of toxins, very few goldfish survive for more than a few weeks. A bowl simply can’t provide a suitable living environment for any fish to live a healthy and long life. Likewise, an unfiltered or poorly filtered mind does not lead to living life more abundantly. When our thoughts go unchecked and unfiltered, we develop toxic mindsets that cause us to lead unhealthy, unproductive, and unhappy lives. But a new way of thinking will always precede a new way of living.
I’d like to tell you a story. This story is about a little girl who had a big dream of becoming a writer. She wanted her words to inspire, encourage and give hope to the heart of every reader who came across her written words. But there was this one BIG problem, the gremlin. You see the gremlin was the loud, mean, nasty and demeaning voice she always heard inside of her head. It would always say things to her such as: