For most of us there is a voice in our heads, a voice of self-criticism, self-judgement, and negative self-talk.

What if you had freedom from the inner critic?

What do you feel just imagining that?

Let’s break this down.

In our minds, we have a listening part and a speaking part. Both are there.
Sometimes we’re more identified with one, and sometimes the other. But both are always there. Please check this out for yourself.

Our thinking can be so intense and overwhelming, and the self-criticism can be unbearable.

Where do these negative thoughts about ourselves come from?

And who or what is talking?

Why do we listen? Why do we believe any of it? Would we ever talk to anyone else that way?

Some part of us must think this voice has some value. Maybe some initial part of it did. But perhaps it might be more like a program that has gotten into our mental bodies, like a program gets into our computers, a program that starts interfering with the operating system, or a weed that gets into your garden and takes over. Maybe the “inner critic” is a program that really needs to be deleted. It’s good to think about this.

So why do we listen to that voice? Perhaps we’re not aware that we are listening?

Perhaps we don’t realize that we have a choice?

We don’t have to listen.

And it doesn’t really matter why we have been listening, actually, because the most important thing is to disengage. (Unless, you want to listen.)

Once you realize that you have a choice to listen or not, you empower yourself. And you can take action. 

You can ask yourself:

• Is there any form of negative self-talk that serves you?
• Any part that raises your frequency?
• Any part that makes you feel good?
• Any part that brings you peace?

You will need to decide for yourself. And if you want Freedom From the Inner Critic, you must disengage.

It may have a strong foothold in you, but it will go away. It feeds off of your attention. And if you starve it of attention, it will disappear. Imagine not having any of that in your head!

There are different ways to delete these programs, and you might find your own unique way to do so.

It might be the most important discipline and practice you’ve ever undertaken. It will serve you in countless revealing ways! It will open the way for your own higher consciousness, your higher self, and your innate wisdom to come through. It will open the way for you to access your Inner Resources more easily. It will allow you to fully be and experience the truth of who you are: an infinite being of pure love, peace, presence, joy, wisdom, and truth.

It takes determination, courage and perseverance to stop listening. Not listening at all, any-time-ever, to any part of that self-criticism, self-judgment, self-depreciation or in any other disguise that comes up. And if and when you realize that you have been listening to it, no worries, the practice is to simply redirect your attention and not make yourself wrong.

Here are some suggestions to help you disengage and free yourself from the inner critic.

1. Pay Attention and notice when you are listening to any distressing thoughts. You know what your stories are, the ones that loop and loop and loop. Immediately upon realizing you are listening to any form of negative self-talk, stop listening. First and foremost, make a firm decision not to listen. And like a kid who puts their fingers in their ears and says, “nah, nah, nah, nah…” do the same, without any further ado.
2. Disengage: It’s a choice you make over and over again. Your power lies in you taking charge and saying No! I am not listening!
3. Redirect the listening part of your mind to anything else currently going on around you, like the sounds of nature, or even cars on the street.
4. Give your mind something else to do and focus on. For instance: Make up a story about things going on in your current environment. Count things that you see around you.  Name the random things and colors that you see. These are just some ideas.  Diligently doing this will free you from the habit of engaging in listening to the programs running in your head. In 10-20 seconds, it can be done so quickly. 
5. Develop your power of focused attention: strengthen your ability to choose what you pay attention to and focus on. Take over and decide what you are going to pay attention to in any given moment. 
6. Have a Delete Theme: create a mental image of something that will support you, such as hitting trash on the computer, bubbles popping, seeing it all turning to fireworks, or visualizing it all thrown in a pile of compost. Bring in any sounds as well. Or choose a word, like “Delete.” Be creative and dream up whatever you like. Find what works for you and that makes you feel good.
7. Turn the thoughts around. Take a negative thought and find the most positive turn around, and then find within you how that is genuinely true for you. As an example, your program might say, “I will never be good enough.” This one could turn into, “I am always good enough.” And find how that is genuinely true for you. You can do that with all of the negative self-talk. Writing it down is good too. Notice when the words “always” and “never” show up. They are often inserted into these programs.
8. Persevere. These programs have been running for decades. Be patient and compassionate with yourself, and be vigilant. The voice will go away. It feeds off of your attention. Stop giving it any attention.

The mind is actually quite simple, in that it just wants to be right, and prove it is right. So when you have a belief, your mind will create a whole file of “evidence” to prove it is right. When the mind is fixed on a specific thought, it gets totally myopic. It will use its very selective file over and over again to prove it is right.

But when you give it genuine evidence that something else is true, (like a good doggy,) the mind will switch to wanting to prove that that is true. So you need to feed your mind with genuine, valid information to get it to switch. So say true and positive things about yourself, your loved ones, and your life. Then your mind will get to be right about that. Bring in every simple, easy and genuine example that is true for you. The only criteria is that it is genuine and true for you. Then your mind will get to be right about that. 

There is so much good in all of us, there is so much good in each of us. There is so much good in you.

It’s time to be more aware of your greatness, your beauty, and your wonderful, unique qualities.

Being grateful for ourselves, and our blessings, loving ourselves and looking for what’s good in the world doesn’t make us arrogant or ignorant, it makes us humble, loving, kind, wise, and quiet. And in that humility there is great truth, great love, and great peace.

What a relief!