Thriving with Social Anxiety by Hattie C. Cooper

Author:Hattie C. Cooper
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Althea Press
Published: 2015-08-24T04:00:00+00:00

If You Only Have 10 Minutes

SILENCING YOUR INNER CRITIC

Your inner critic is the part of you that’s always pointing out that what you just did is totally wrong or, at the very least, not quite right. The one that sometimes shouts, sometimes whines, sometimes whispers—but always with the same basic message: You’re just not quite up to par. You’re flawed, and it’s embarrassing. What’s wrong with you?! When you notice that your inner critic starts taking center stage in your mind, take a quick 10-minute break to practice this self-compassion meditation.

1. Find a quiet place where you can comfortably sit without distraction, such as the meditation space you identified earlier.

2. Take a deep breath, and settle in. Rest one hand over your heart and the other on your belly. Say “ahh” to release the tension in your jaw. Breathe.

3. Allow the voice of the inner critic to arise. Allow the emotions that it triggers to arise. Can you experience the emotions as simply bursts of life-force energy? Can you hear the inner critic’s words as simply sound—a kind of music, like a Mozart string quartet, just not quite as harmonious? If so, great. If not, no problem. Simply notice and allow the thoughts and emotions to be, like the sky allowing clouds space to float.

4. Now offer words of kindness and compassion to yourself. The inner critic is just one member of the committee. Now it’s time to give the floor to your inner advocate: the one who offers words of support. You write the script, and you step into that role. Even better, let it be your “wisdom mind” that’s speaking. You know how to do it. Say, “I love you unconditionally.” Say, “You are primordially pure.” Say, “No human being is perfect, and I love and accept you just the way you are.”

When your 10 minutes are up, notice how you feel. Do you feel more compassionate toward yourself? Can you remember to remind yourself from time to time how much you truly do love and accept yourself? If you can make this a habit, you’ll feel yourself softening around the edges and may find that some of your social anxiety is easing up.

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