Your inner critic can show up just about anywhere and everywhere.
Your inner critic is that voice inside of you telling you that you’re not good enough, incompetent, lazy, weak and so on. If you’ve been dealing with that type of inner voice, then it most certainly shows up in the workplace. So, how do you manage your negative thoughts while at work? Good question. Here are some tips.
Awareness
Pay close attention to what your inner critic says. Isolate those thoughts and take a closer look at how it impacts your actions. For example, your inner critic can cause you to underperform at work with a behavior like procrastination. Your inner critic can tell you how you’re never going to get the job done perfectly or right so you push off the job until the very last minute.
Your inner critic can also cause you to overwork and overachieve by constantly reminding you of your weaknesses and all the areas you may have neglected. This can cause you to go way overboard with the details as you try and make sure everything is perfect.
Start writing down the thoughts you hear, the ways it makes you feel and the actions that follow. Pay close attention to these patterns.
Choose What You Want to Believe
The way you see yourself is entirely up to you. If you find yourself always thinking in the negative about who you are and what you’re capable of, how about flipping those thoughts?
So, instead of telling yourself and believing you aren’t good enough, or smart enough, how about telling yourself you are capable and smart? How about telling yourself that you can accomplish and achieve and get the job done right? This slight reversal can make all the difference.
Focus on Your Talents and Achievements
Lastly, start noticing all the things you do well at work. Notice the actual work you’re doing on projects instead of focusing on the tasks not being complete. For instance, notice that you’re halfway through and almost to the finish line, and see if you can take pride in how far you’ve gone.
You can also start saying thank you for the compliments you receive at work instead of wondering why people compliment you. You don’t have to alway brush off the compliments by saying, “oh it was nothing." You can actually start believing that people value what you do, and you can find value in what you do too.
Takeaway
Pick one of the tools mentioned above and try it out for a week. See what works best for you and notice the volume of that inner critic slowly decreasing. No one is saying it’s going to vanish overnight, but with time and practice you may notice that voice disappear or fade much further into the background.
If you've been following all the rules, done everything you thought you were supposed to do, and still aren't living the life you expected to live, Bianca Hughes, LPC, gets it.
She is an Atlanta, Georgia-based Perfectionism Therapist with over 11 years of experience, working with high achievers struggling with perfectionism, anxiety, burnout, and overthinking. She guides clients to break free from the captivity of perfectionism and cultivate a profound sense of confidence, self-trust, and authenticity.
As a speaker, Bianca leads honest conversations on perfectionism and authenticity that go deep. She has spoken with organizations like Amazon, at conferences and events in the U.S. and internationally, and has been a guest on over 40 podcasts.
As the founder of Therapists Beyond the Mold, Bianca mentors therapists to trust their clinical magic and build careers that fit them.
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