The Inner Critic

The ego

Based on our every day conditioning, our experiences, our interaction with others, media and social media, we create a voice inside our heads. This voice is also referred to as our ego. The ego is the voice in you that has created it's individual story based on past experience and future expectations. Unfortunately, when the ego holds on too tightly to the past or clings to future stories that may not unfold the way it planned, it can become a voice that judges and criticizes. This egoic inner critic often stems from fear. Fear of either past or the future, fear of failing and fear to be judged by others. We often don't realize that it is actually our inner critic that is the one judging us often before anything as even happened. When we our not aware of the inner critic as an independent voice, we become identified with it. As a result, we withhold ourselves from doing what we deep down already know we should do. The ego now stands in the way of following the voice of our intuition to our true purpose in life. This voice of intuition doesn't have to speak. It is a deep sense of knowing combined with creative power that is in all of us. 

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The awareness

Becoming aware of the egoic inner critic is the first step towards freeing ourselves from it's suffocating grip. By practicing mindfulness, acceptance and (self)compassion, we can become aware that inner critic's voice is not our own, and that what it says holds not truth. We can then slowly dissociate ourselves from the voice. Once the inner critic becomes more quiet, our intuition can emerge from the stillness. Connecting to our deeper awareness will allow us to release our fears and open up to personal and spiritual growth.

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Engaging in the art process is a powerful  and non threatening way to face the inner critic and practice acceptance. Creative expression can release emotion and foster healing.

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