“Turn Away from Your Inner Critic” by Joan Y. Edwards
An unleashed, severely overactive inner critic can fill you with conflicting emotions and self-doubt. Lots of self-doubt. It may mislead you with fear (false-evidence appearing real). It may even lead you to think you know other people’s intentions better than they do. It may make you think you are a mind reader.
An inner critic typically stems from past experiences, societal pressures, or personal insecurities. It often shows up giving you self-doubt, harsh judgment, and/or unrealistic expectations.
When you were a child, your inner critic may have helped keep you safe. That voice in your head now is probably repeating something a person in great authority told you as a child or teenager. You believed this statement unquestioningly. It could have been your mother, father, teacher, preacher, policeman or someone else in charge. It could have been from a traumatic experience.The problem is that your mind’s interpretation of these words are not always accurate. Especially, if it was before you were of the age of reason.
Your inner critic’s voice tells you things. Warnings: Don’t go near the water. Don’t touch the stove. Don’t trust strangers. Don’t talk at the dinner table. Don’t make someone angry. DON’T. DON’T. DON’T. NEGATIVE. NEGATIVE. NEGATIVE.
Your gut reaction to what people say or do to you may come from your inner critic. However, your inner critic trusts no one. Not even you. It may give you faulty information. It may provide you with a faulty assessment of your situation at the present time. It may be still in the past.
So, I propose that you turn away from listening to that inner critic of yours. Put a new voice in your head to listen to. One you can name what you want. I’ll call it “Your Inner Best Friend.”
What would your best friend tell you to do? What would God tell you to do? Be your own Inner Best Friend. Love yourself. Say kind things to yourself. Hold yourself accountable, but do it in a gentle manner. Ask questions. Don’t guess what people are thinking. Don’t guess their intentions. Ask them. You are worth it. They are worth it. Preserve your inner peace and the peace of others on your life’s path.
Instead of criticizing you for everything that you do, say, and feel
your Inner Best Friend:
1. Accepts you as you are. Helps you find your joy and keep your inner peace.
2. Listens to you.
3. Forgives you. Helps you have compassion for yourself. Realizing that hurt is real. That you can survive hurt and be stronger. You don’t have to hold onto the pain or blame. You can relax your body, mind, and spirit. You are safe. You are loved. You are cared for.
4. Speaks to you with kindness, gentleness, love, and wisdom. You are worthy, priceless, amazing, powerful, compassionate, trustworthy, and wise. You are evolving. You are, quirky, and perfectly human.
5. Searches for and points out information you might not have considered.
6. Does not judge, blame, condemn, or punish you or others.
7. Helps you figure out what the real problem is.
8. Helps you search and find solutions that honors your self-worth and the self-worth of others, too.
9. Empowers you to try the solution you believe is the best one that leads you to inner peace. Trust that you choose the best solution anyone could choose with the same thoughts, feelings, and knowledge you have at the moment you made your choice. You are not defined by what happens to you, but by the courage and tenderness you carry forward. This courage and gentleness shows hows how strong and resilient you are.
Thank you for reading my post. I hope it helps you. This information and information I shared on my last few posts helped me tame my inner critic which got way out of control this year. It filled me with doubt of my self-worth and I knew I was in trouble so I did a self-retreat listening to affirmations and repeating affirmations and listening to positive minded people on youtube. And praying a lot. And doing things I loved doing. And learning new ways to relax my body, mind, and spirit. I searched and God helped me find things to empower me. Thank you, God. I believe that God , your creator, will also lead you to the information you need to heal your body, mind, and spirit. I pray that you spend time doing things and believing things that are good about you. You deserve it. God created you to be awesome and you are definitely awesome. Turn away from your inner critic.
I believe in you.
Believe in Yourself
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
Copyright 2025 Joan Y. Edwards Subscribe (free gifts) I get giggly when you subscribe.
You made many fine points suggesting ways to turn from our inner self critic. I’m reminded that we can’t handle everything put on us alone. Thank goodness Jesus promised us the help of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 explains how he helps us. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. “
Dear Linda,
Thank you for writing. I am glad you think I made many good points of ways to turn away from our inner critic.
You are right. The Holy Spirit does guide us and help us.
May God always light up the paths you need to love yourself and those on your life’s path with you.
Never Give Up
Joan
Thank you for reminding us that the inner self takes over. I really needed to hear this a lot of times I let the inner self take over and I don’t think I’m worthy. But hearing you, I will now think of the things that you have listed instead. Thank you for helping me so much with your podcast readings. Emma
Dear Emma,
Thank you for writing. I am glad that you are dismantling the negative beliefs about you that your inner critic keeps pushing you into self-doubt. It is not a good feeling. It makes us feel unworthy and not enough.
I am proud of you for becoming aware that this is going on. Recognizing it is wisdom from God, I think. A gift. Celebrate you today. You are wonderfully made and loved.
Never Give Up
Joan
Wise words from a wise woman!
An inner critic can keep a talented writer from ever sharing their words believing their not good enough.
An inner critic can keep one from sharing their God given talents
with the world.
Thanks for an inspirational post!
Dear Sandra,
Thank you for writing! You are right. An inner critic can keep a writer from sharing their work. An inner critic can definitely keep someone from sharing their gifts God gave them because the inner critic kept them from becoming aware of their wondrous gifts. I appreciate that you shared my post with your friends on Facebook. Thinking of you makes me smile. That you shared my work with your friends made me plumb giggly.
believe in You
Never Give Up
Joan
it can take work getting through those periods of self doubt.
Dear Bill,
Thank you for writing! You are right. It can take a lot of work to get through a period of self doubt. It takes awareness, compassion, skill, resources, and love of yourself to step into believing more good things about you and build back up self-confidence.
May your aura fill you with good feelings
Believe in Yourself with Unwavering Faith
Never Give Up
Joan
You made many fine points suggesting ways to turn from our inner self critic. I’m reminded that we can’t handle everything put on us alone. Thank goodness Jesus promised us the help of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26 explains how he helps us. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. “
Dear Linda,
Thank you for writing. I am glad you think I made many good points of ways to turn away from our inner critic.
You are right. The Holy Spirit does guide us and help us.
May God always light up the paths you need to love yourself and those on your life’s path with you.
Never Give Up
Joan
Thank you for reminding us that the inner self takes over. I really needed to hear this a lot of times I let the inner self take over and I don’t think I’m worthy. But hearing you, I will now think of the things that you have listed instead. Thank you for helping me so much with your podcast readings. Emma
Dear Emma,
Thank you for writing. I am glad that you are dismantling the negative beliefs about you that your inner critic keeps pushing you into self-doubt. It is not a good feeling. It makes us feel unworthy and not enough.
I am proud of you for becoming aware that this is going on. Recognizing it is wisdom from God, I think. A gift. Celebrate you today. You are wonderfully made and loved.
Never Give Up
Joan
Wise words from a wise woman!
An inner critic can keep a talented writer from ever sharing their words believing their not good enough.
An inner critic can keep one from sharing their God given talents
with the world.
Thanks for an inspirational post!
Dear Sandra,
Thank you for writing! You are right. An inner critic can keep a writer from sharing their work. An inner critic can definitely keep someone from sharing their gifts God gave them because the inner critic kept them from becoming aware of their wondrous gifts. I appreciate that you shared my post with your friends on Facebook. Thinking of you makes me smile. That you shared my work with your friends made me plumb giggly.
believe in You
Never Give Up
Joan
it can take work getting through those periods of self doubt.
Dear Bill,
Thank you for writing! You are right. It can take a lot of work to get through a period of self doubt. It takes awareness, compassion, skill, resources, and love of yourself to step into believing more good things about you and build back up self-confidence.
May your aura fill you with good feelings
Believe in Yourself with Unwavering Faith
Never Give Up
Joan
I hope your belief