Ep.15: Quieting Your Inner Critic

Do you have a loud inner critic voice? You know the one that starts when you wake up and tells you that you're not good enough, thin enough, productive enough, patient enough, strong enough, smart enough or whatever? I used to believe that these daily repetitive negative thoughts were helping me. I thought I could berate myself into 'being better' or shame myself enough that I would stop drinking, start running or lose weight. I thought if I was just hard enough on myself - I'd get my shit together. The truth is it didn't work. I didn't work for me and it probably isn't working for you. It's just making you miserable. Somehow we've convinced ourselves that embracing the ways in which we ‘should’ be better will help us achieve more in life. But that's not true. In fact, our inner critic can lead us to drink or numb out to turn it off and quiet your mind. And reaching for substances will only lead us to anxiety and more self-criticism. It's the opposite, limiting self-criticism and offsetting its negative effects, that will build resilience, reduce stress and lower anxiety. And there’s an easy way to quiet your inner critic. In this podcast episode we’ll dive into how and why to release the voice that tells you that you’re not enough and less than others. My guest today is Vanessa Klugman, She’s an MD and a Certified Professional Coach and a Certified Professional Recovery Coach and she’ll share how healing your inner critic starts with self compassion. You’ll learn: Why working to quiet your inner critic is important How to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects Myths about self-compassion (what it is and what it is not) How self-compassion builds resilience and decreases anxiety How to take a self-compassion break (the 3 part practice) How to heal yourself with mindfulness, kindness and the knowledge that you’re not alone. About Vanessa Klugman, MD, ACC. Vanessa is a physician, and mother of three. She balanced the demands of a career and family for many years until the stress became overwhelming. Vanessa turned to poor coping mechanisms to escape the demands that she placed on herself. Vanessa had a harsh inner critic who told her messages that she was not good enough. She believed that her worth was equated with how much she achieved, how well she was liked, and how much she gave to others. She wasn't living an authentic life. In recovery, she learned effective ways to face negative emotions: set boundaries that protected her sobriety; faced limiting beliefs and healed old wounds. Vanessa’s passion is to guide others battling to find a healthy balance in their lives, to disconnect from their inner critic and reconnect with their inner wisdom. Shownotes: www.hellosomedaycoaching.com/15 Links and Resources Mentioned Vanessa Klugman vanessalifeandrecoverycoach@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/vanessa.klugman.3 http://resiliencerecoverycoaching.com/ Connect with Casey McGuire Davidson www.hellosomedaycoaching.com Casey @ Hello Someday Coaching (@caseymdavidson) Get The Free Sober Girl’s Guide to Quitting Drinking – 30 Tips For your First 30 Days Listen to more podcast episodes to drink less + live more. Books mentioned: Dr. Kristin Neff: Self-Compassion: The Proven Power Of Being Kind To Yourself