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Journaling prompts: befriending your inner critic


Each month I host a free 'Journaling for well-being' workshop. It's 30 minutes of support and inspiration for your journaling practice. We focus on two techniques:


1 - Wild writing, a free-style journaling method.

2 - Utilising guided prompts around a particular theme.


The theme for the session was 'befriending your inner critic'.


We all have an inner voice - some days it may appear louder than others. What we hear all day every day (sometimes over and over) has an impact on our work, our relationships, our happiness and our overall well-being.


Imagine that voice in your head was your greatest cheerleader, encouraging you at every step of the way or offering compassionate words when things got tough. For most of us, that is not the case. Instead, our inner critic takes over, and may tell us we’re not good enough or we should be doing more.


According to the National Science Foundation, we have between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative and 95% play on repeat. The repetitive nature of our minds means we hear those messages over and over, and are not able to distinguish truth from falsity.


Befriending your inner critic helps prevent you from getting stuck in a spiral of negativity and enables you to empower yourself to do the things you want to do.


The first step to doing that is building awareness of that voice. Try these journaling prompts to help you dive deeper into your inner critic, and challenge yourself to turn an unhelpful inner voice, into an empowering one.

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  • Write down a recent situation where your inner critic was particularly loud. What was the critical voice saying to you?

  • What was it about this situation that was triggering your inner critic?

  • How could that inner critic have been trying to protect you? / What do you think was the positive intention of the critic at that moment?

  • Imagine a friend or loved one was in the same situation. What would you be saying to them to comfort or encourage them?

  • To challenge the inner critic, write down three alternative perspectives for that situation that would be more helpful.

  • What messages from your inner voice would help you feel confident and empowered today?


Why not save this post or share with a friend who you think may find these prompts useful.



Next month, my free journaling workshop takes place on 7th October and is focused on the theme of settling into self care. You can register here.


Alternatively, you can download my free journaling toolkit to get your started.



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