IS YOUR INNER CRITIC WORKING OVER-TIME?

Written by Rhoberta Shaler


Do you have an Inner Critic who seems to always be on duty? It is that voice that sounds so sure and authoritative as it tears at your self-esteem and whittles away at your self-confidence. You can actually look spectacular, healthy and fit and it will fixate onrepparttar part of your body you likerepparttar 101826 least. Sound familiar?

It is notrepparttar 101827 exact words that this voice utters that matter. It isrepparttar 101828 quality ofrepparttar 101829 energy behindrepparttar 101830 words...and it is often not positive. Interestingly enough,repparttar 101831 voice is usually not tellingrepparttar 101832 truth. In fact, it is not even close to being based in reality. It is such a strange phenomenon. A hundred people could tell you that you look terrific today, and that one lonely, miserable Inner Critic can cause you to decide that all one hundred of those folks are wrong! When you look at it that way, it seems ludicrous, doesn't it?

Let me tell you a story from my own life. Fromrepparttar 101833 time I was nine years old, I was told that I needed to diet, change, do more, do less, reach, settle, conform, stretch. The message from my folks was that no matter what I did I would never be good enough. Sound familiar again? Once I was an adult,repparttar 101834 content of that message shifted from my weight to my career and mothering ability, butrepparttar 101835 outcome wasrepparttar 101836 same--no matter what I did I would never be good enough. If I paid attention to my career--and, as a single mother of three, there was no choice if we wanted to eat--my parents insisted that I was not giving my children enough of my time. If I paid attention to my children, I was wasting my life being a mother. What a Catch-22! My parents were invested in control. Making it impossible for me to "win" allowed them to think they were in control. Fortunately, I saw their game when I was seventeen and gave their opinions less weight than they thought. Or, at least, that is what I thought!

WHEN YOU SEE RED

Written by Rhoberta Shaler


When you are feeling angry at someone, what do you do? Do you know how to express your feelings in ways that are clear and assertive? Many folks don't. For that reason, one of two things happens: they holdrepparttar anger in, and, as we all know, it sneaks out in strange and often inappropriate ways, or, they explode and scatter their unhappiness over everyone, perhaps, destroying relationships onrepparttar 101825 way! Neither of these are healthy alternatives.

Anger is an arousal inrepparttar 101826 body that is triggered by frustration, fear or hurt. As that arousal escalates, your body goes intorepparttar 101827 stress response. When that arousal raises your heart rate to about 120 to 150 beats per minute,repparttar 101828 blood fromrepparttar 101829 frontal lobes of your brain,repparttar 101830 centers of reason and logic, drains down to protect your vital organs. This is not good news. Why? Becauserepparttar 101831 more angry you become,repparttar 101832 more unable you are to think clearly! You have probably experienced that. Just when you are at your loudest, wanting to dealrepparttar 101833 death blow to prove your righteous position, you cannot think. Then, you often say one ofrepparttar 101834 best things you'll ever regret! Right?

Whenrepparttar 101835 body goes into arousal, notice. If you are talking to someone atrepparttar 101836 time, think. It is important to your well-being andrepparttar 101837 health of your

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