Giving your inner critic air time
There are some wonderful people in my life in the throes of imposter syndrome right now. It comes with the territory of moving towards the unfamiliar—be it a new job, bigger job, or other unexplored terrain.
My truth: I’m among them. 🙋🏻♀️
I closed out last year with an unplanned surgery. The post recovery spanned weeks, and in the ramp back up, I found myself getting snagged by doubt.
My answer to this strong inner critic voice: “say more.” I turned up the volume and listened intently to the soundtrack running in the background.
For me, “turning up the volume” played out over a journal page as I captured uncensored thoughts. The airtime I allowed my inner critic was also time bound—they had the mic but for only 15 minutes.
I was surprised by what poured out, but the insight came as I turned the volume back down to take stock.
I dropped my pen, took a breath, and read my rushed writing. Somehow, I felt better.
I fact checked the validity of the more outlandish thoughts. I met my thoughts with compassion and humor. My inner critic faded a bit more to the background when given space to express.
We can feel a pull to run from big emotions and experiences, but I’m working on tuning them in for just a while to process and notice gems of learning.
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