After last week’s video on turning 55, it felt right to further the exploration of self-reflection and comment on a habit that many of us engage in: self-criticism.
For most of us, the best way our parents knew to help us grow into “wonderful human beings” was to in some way criticise, shame, and punish us when we strayed from “the right way to behave”. I perceive this as still being the predominant way of parenting, and teaching in our schools.
In the video below, I talk about the unconscious pressure that many of us have to adjust our OWN behaviours through these very same methods. To criticise ourself first. To sit in judgement of our own real or perceived flaws in order to protect ourselves from other people doing it.
Even though this is so much less than it ever was for me, I still sometimes find myself in this habit learnt from childhood, and am aware of it now at a whole different level of noticing.
If this sounds like you or someone you know, then I hope you take the time to watch (and even share) this video because it is often the smallest shifts we make in life that can make the biggest difference.
With love,
Shari
P.s. If this video resonates with you, please comment below the video or reply to this email. I’d love to hear about your experiences with self-criticism.