Therapist Shari B. Kaplan explains how the inner critic develops from childhood conditioning and trauma. She uses the metaphor of trading baseball bats for feather dusters to show the shift from self-punishment to self-kindness. The practice: acknowledge the critic, thank it for protecting you, then reassure yourself that you're safe now.
How do I stop being so hard on myself? I like to tell people, put your baseball bats down and pick up the feather dusters if you have to beat yourself up at all. But I would much rather you learn how to find compassion for yourself. Kindness and compassion. Because your inner critic is often an internalized voice from childhood or from trauma, or maybe you had to stay in line as a child or else bad things would've happened, or you would've been humiliated or criticized or judged. So this voice in your head developed as a way to protect you from more shame and humiliation. So that critical voice, that, that really harsh voice, you want to turn it into a gentle friend. Sometimes by being compassionate to it and saying, thank you so much for showing up for me, but I really am safe today. [MUSIC] [MUSIC]
When Grief Feels Overwhelming: Finding Ground in Nature #mentalhealthawareness
