30 Days of Self-Compassion- Day 2- Being kind to your inner critic?

Yesterday we talked about naming your inner critic. Today's reflection questions might surprise you--they are meant to help you show kindness towards that inner critic.
Show kindness to the enemy?? That's right, and here's why.
You can't fight fire with fire, and being angry at that voice will only reinforce the habit of being hard on yourself. What if...you treated that voice like you would a hurt friend instead?

REFLECT: HOW WOULD YOU TREAT A FRIEND?
These are questions you can journal, reflect on, or talk through with a partner. 

1. How do you respond to a friend, a loved one or a student when they are struggling? What do you say? What do you do? What is your tone?
2. How do you treat yourself when you are struggling? What do you say? What do you do? What is your tone?
3. When your inner critic pops up, what is something kind, compassionate or loving you can say in response?

Today's challenge was to come up with one friendly response you can have ready for your inner critic. 🙏

Once a person whose job I took over told me the day I started “You’re going to drown!” What?! Bitch!!!! 

I replied “I don’t drown!” And that has become my mantra. Now to my inner critic too!!!

I realized I was writing to my inner critic, but not as I would address my best friend! So edit: to my best friend, I always tell her (and she tells me) "Your feelings are valid, feel them, own them, because how you feel is not wrong! But then let's look at it (what's bothering you) logically." This validates how we are feeling in the moment, when we are venting to each other. We are allowed to feel how we feel- anger,embarrassment, frustration, sorrow, but then have to (kindly and logically) work through how to alleviate these feelings, and come up with next steps.