Tag Archives: resources to silence your inner critic

Are You Grumpy? Me, Too.

brown bear looking grumpy
Thank you, Pisabay.

“Are You Grumpy? Me, Too.” by Joan Y. Edwards

One morning you wake up feeling what is best described as grumpy.  There is no one around. No one caused it. Across from you in the mirror is this big grumpy bear.

You say to yourself. This reflection can’t be right. You check in another mirror. There facing you is a man who is so angry, he’s turned into a huge muscular man as green as the Hulk.

The hulk, muscular green man
So Angry, I Turned into the a big green monster like the Hulk

Thinking this must be a dream. You go to a third mirror in your house. You ease up on it slowly.  You don’t know what to expect. There in the third mirror is an image of you crying tears, lots of tears.

Thank you, Pixabay.

You sit down on the floor. You cry and cry along with the lady in the mirror.

How can this be?  Why are  the multitudes of emotions hitting you at one time? Why today?

If you’re like me, you may never know all the reasons why. You may not actually know any of the reasons why. However, being human, you may want a place to put the blame. Someone to blame for your grumpiness, your anger, your sadness.

Today many people blame the Corona Virus.  It’s partly to blame.

Another thing to blame is that you are not perfect. You are human. Sometimes the stress of everything creeps up on you and weakens your immune system. In this immune system is your emotional ability to cope with stress.

In times of stress, the “Me, Myself, and I” within you, the voices of your inner critic  get busy talking against you.

“You’re dumb.”
“You’re not fast enough.”
“You can’t do anything right.”
“You’ll never get what you want.”
“You’re hopeless.”

In your defense, you start blaming the person or the thing you believe is causing you stress.

First thing to do is accept that it is okay to be grumpy, angry, and sad or a combination of all these emotions and more. Accepting yourself as you are is a way to strengthen your immune system.

Second thing is to say good things about yourself. Declare positive things about you to offset the negative voice that shouts at you from within.  Your inner spirit will listen to these declarations. If you say them often, the recordings of good words will play in your head more than the negative ones.

“I am smart and wise.”
“I am fast enough to do the things I deem essential.”
“I can do many things right.”
“I get almost everything I want and many things I never dreamed were possible for me to achieve.”
“I believe I can achieve many things. I am full of hope.”

The third thing to do when you’re feeling grumpy is to do something fun. Even a small thing such as drinking hot chocolate or feeding the birds.

There are many other things to do when you get grumpy. How do you handle it when you are grumpy?

When I’m grumpy, I watch a good movie with a happy ending or listen to my favorite music. Music can change your mood in a hurry.

Other Resources to Help

  1. “Five Ways to Get Your Inner Critic to Shut Up:” https://www.publicationcoach.com/5-ways-to-get-your-inner-critic-to-shut-up/
  2. “Five Immediate and Easy Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic:”https://tinybuddha.com/blog/5-immediate-and-easy-ways-to-silence-your-inner-critic/ 
  3. “Four Ways to Overcome Your inner Critic:” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/compassion-matters/201305/4-ways-overcome-your-inner-critic

Please leave a comment. What do you do when you get grumpy?

Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards, Author

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