Dr. Aziz offers reassurance to people struggling with self-criticism, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts. He explains how the inner critic gets louder when you try to change, calls it your "safety police," and says recovery is possible with support.
Hey, Dr. Aziz here. And I want to share just a quick message of support and hope for you. And if you're watching this, you'll find it when you need it. And my message is, it's okay. It's okay. Whatever is happening in your life right now, it's okay. And whatever is happening inside of you right now, it's okay. And that could be strong anxiety, maybe social anxiety, maybe self criticism, self judgment, maybe you're feeling strong self hatred or. And sometimes these things, you know, these words, self judgment, self hatred can be so kind of, I don't know, removed from the emotional intensity of what it's really like. Because if you experience self hatred, you know that that term is like a just. It's just a pointer. The experience is like this pit of fear and pain and suffering and self judgment. And that voice in your head that I talk about as voice, your inner critic might feel like this overpowering thing. And I remember one time, this was many, many years ago, and I'd already done some confidence work and had grown in some ways, and I developed some base confidence to be able to put myself out there more. But I had so much self judgment, non stop perfectionism, criticism, criticism, judgment on myself. And I went to my first Tony Robbins event and had a really illuminating experience and felt very positive and energized. I was like, yeah, I'm taking charge of my life. Yeah, right? And it was really amazing. And then I signed up for his master university, where you go to multiple events. And the next event I was going to go to was about four months out from that first one. And in that time, I, like, I rode the high. And then like a month later or something just like crashed and burned. Like, it felt like I was kind of back to where I started. And the inner critic inside of me just like pushed to a new level. And I had no idea what was happening at the time. I remember this was pretty close to the event coming up, and I was like, okay, maybe that's going to help me to go back in that environment. And I remember sitting at this kitchen table and I had my hands in my head, hands in my hair and my head in my face, and I was just like. And this voice was just berating me and yelling at me, like in my own head and judging me and telling me I was worthless and I should just die and I should kill myself. And it was so painful. I was just like, I don't know what's going on. And in retrospect, I do. What I didn't know at the time is that inner judgment, that inner hatred is actually a voice of your safety police. And it intensifies and gets stronger when you're about to make a change in your life, even a positive change, especially a positive change. And to me, I mean, going to those events with Tony Robbins and stuff, like, shifted the course of my life in a positive direction. And that critic was terrified of those changes. And so it like, gave everything it had to try to get me to not go and to just like, completely implode on myself. And the reason I'm sharing this story with you is like, I want you to know that it's okay whatever you're going through. And there could be this sense of shame we feel of like, oh, my God, I'm crazy, or, you know, and all kinds of things that I've experienced in my life, ranging from self criticism, social anxiety, obsessive thoughts, intrusive thoughts, stuff that, you know, you feel like, so strong anxiety, panic. I've experienced all these different things at different times in my life. And it's okay. It's okay. If you're experiencing those things, you're okay. It's just, it's human. And whether it's some. There's a clinical name for it or there isn't, or you know, or you don't, it doesn't really matter. Just allowing, say, you know, whatever's happening to me, even if it's unpleasant, even if you don't like it, it's okay. And that doesn't mean you're not going to go do something about it or get some help or get some support. But what I mean, it's okay, is like, you're okay and you're going to be okay. That's the important thing to remember, too, and that's the message of hope I want to give you is like, you're going to be okay. You're going to grow through this. You're going to get better from this. This will subside into your past and you'll be in a new chapter of your life where you aren't depressed anymore, where you aren't suicidal anymore, where you aren't anxious in the same ways anymore, where that intensity has reduced and you feel better, your life is better. It's not perfect, and there's still challenges, still anxiety. There's still the next thing that can come up or the way that these kind of things can circle back and get us again, but it's different. They can't pull you down in the same way. So just know that you can get to the other side of this, you will. You're in that process right now. And stay in there. You got this. Share down below in your comments for support to help each other to grow. If you want even more support, you can check out my program, Confidence University, where there's a community you can be a part of that can really help you elevate and shift what's going on in your life and really resolve some of these things so you can move forward. But just know that you're not alone. And Whether it's with YouTube or something, you want to go deeper, that we're here for you. All right? Until we speak again, may you have the courage to be who you are and to know on a deep level that you're awesome.
