About the Episode

Are you exhausted from battling your inner critic all day? Are you struggling with limiting beliefs leading to a cycle of numbing behaviors?

In this episode Rachel shares about the struggle with her own inner critic, the behaviors she has been using to cope, and how she is learning to find peace in slowing down.

We all cope with some type of self-medication. Who doesn’t want to sit on the couch, drink wine, eat cake and watch Netflix after a long exhausting day? Most of us are guilty of trading yoga for an evening on the couch in our yoga pants or choosing a tub of Ben & Jerry’s over that kale salad.

It’s not so much about what you do, but why you do it! Ice cream, wine and chocolate cake are wonderful things to enjoy, but when we use food and alcohol as a way to numb ourselves chances are we need some help to come back to ourselves.

Consciously moving from a place of numbing your feelings to feeling your feelings and prioritizing the practices that help you care for yourself are critical keys to feeling good in our day-to-day.

This podcast will remind you to listen to your inner best friend, find compassion for yourself along the way, feel your feelings, talk it out, go to therapy, give yourself a break, journal, and use all the healing tools you need to consciously quiet that inner critic.

Key Takeaways

• End the cycle of shame by shedding light on how you actually feel - especially if you’re having a tough week.
• We can turn anything into an escape from the present moment. What do you reach for at the end of a hard day? Do you have a go-to that you reach for when you’d rather numb than feel your feelings?
• You don’t have to work to deserve to rest. Rest is your birthright.
• Ask for help! Go to therapy or call a friend to talk the heavy feelings out.
• Journaling is a master practice. Try to journal on your feelings for at least 15 minutes a day.
• Listen to your inner best friend, have compassion for yourself and give yourself a break. It is easier to take care of yourself from a place of acceptance.

Interactive Exercise

Grab a journal and pen and practice stream of consciousness journaling. That means, you will set a timer and just write, and write, and write, until the timer goes off. Do this twice to the following journal prompts:

“My inner critic tells me…”

“My inner best friend tells me…”

It doesn’t matter what you write! What needs to be said will find its way to the surface.