The Easiest Way to Silence Your Inner Critic

The way we talk to ourselves can be clearly harsher than the way we talk to others. In fact, many of us are stuck in toxic self-feedback that is more damaging than we think. And part of the problem with negative internal monologue is that we’re so used to talking to ourselves in this way that we don’t even realize we’re doing it. Even if we don’t realize it, our minds and bodies are still affected by it.

But there is a way to free yourself from the inner critic once and for all – with the help of one simple trick of the therapist.

What is a toxic internal monologue?

Dr. Peter Attia , author of Surviving: The Science and Art of Longevity , as a guest on an episode of Hubermann’s Laboratories , explained that he had a severe case of toxic self-talk that stemmed from a perfectionism-related addiction with performance. From childhood, he felt rage inside him every time he didn’t complete a task to his very high standards. This would take violent forms such as breaking windows and yelling at people (and himself), eventually spreading to everyone around him.

However, you don’t have to beat walls to improve the way you talk to yourself. We all have an attitude towards ourselves that dictates how we feel, act and are perceived in the world and by the people around us. And you can improve it.

How to silence your inner critic

During therapy, Attiya’s therapist gave him an exercise to deal with anger, which was part of his 47 years of life. She promised him that if he did this exercise, his inner critic problem would improve if he did the following:

Whenever Attia caught himself in a negative self-talk, he had to immediately stop whatever activity he had just messed up. Then he would have to pretend that it was really a dear friend who had just flunked an assignment and replace talking to himself with talking loudly to that person, as if he was there. He recorded the “conversation” on his phone and sent it to his therapist.

Naturally, he spoke much kinder to this friend than angrily to himself. After about a few months of doing this activity four or five times a day, Attia claims that he can no longer remember what his inner critic sounds like at all.

Cunning has to do with the ability of the brain to change, or, as he says in his book and is known in the scientific community, with its neuroplasticity – the ability of neural networks in the brain to change and adapt throughout a person’s life.

While people with toxic internal monologue lack empathy for themselves, most do have it for other people. Ultimately, he hacks his brain to talk to himself in a much more loving way and destroy 47 years of toxic internal monologue.

You may or may not have a therapist to whom you can send the audio, or maybe the friend you represent is willing to receive it. However, the main work is done when you stop talking negatively to yourself and redirect this negative self-talk into a kinder monologue. If you stick to this exercise, you will be able to silence your inner critic.