Defeating Negative Self-Criticizing Thought Patterns
“You are your own worst enemy.” You’ve heard it before, haven’t you? Some people get trapped in their own minds and ultimately find it impossible to move in any direction because of it. They make no progression because they become wound up in their thoughts. It can be a destructive vicious cycle. You get caught up in the “what if’s” and the negativity, continuing this until a day has passed, then a week, a month, years. There are many factors that can contribute to this, anxiety, past experiences, and even your personal self-view. However, there are ways you can rise above the negative voice that may be weighing you down.
Firstly, identify your thoughts. You’ll need to confront and address the things that are holding you back. Then you’ll have to develop a mindset that counters the negative thoughts. This can be difficult, but your belief system and confidence play a major role in your life. Discovering the evidence, you have by which you criticize yourself will help you find evidence to invalidate those criticisms as well.
Finally, learn to accept yourself. You’re not perfect, neither is any other human currently living on this Earth. We all have flaws, we all fail at some point, and we all make mistakes. Instead of criticizing yourself learn to accept yourself, flaws and all. Make no mistake it’s not a bad thing to analyze yourself and seek to learn from past mistakes, the problem is when you stop moving altogether.
You are capable of many amazing and fantastic things, but you’ll never know what they are if you don’t try. Nothing worthwhile in this world is gained without risk. Sometimes those risks are greater than others but still, try. “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Les Brown