Every Day in June #19 (EDM #216) - Draw your inner critic

Every Day in June #19 (EDM #216) - Draw your inner critic

Pen and Ink with Digital Colour

I was having a bad morning and when I saw this challenge the above image materialized. Too many of us are familiar with this beast.

My son said, "Hey, mom, your inner critic is scary."

Yes, yes it is.

This is my psyche at it's worse.  This is when I lose all confidence in myself; when I cannot remember that there are are good things in my life.

When I posted the above image on Facebook I was surprised at the amount of comments that came my way. Here is a sample of those comments.

Facebook Comments - Used with permission

My friend, Sherry Power, of Power Home Solutions wrote a lovely blog post about this situation entitled Silencing Your Inner Critic. Please take a moment to go read it.

Thankfully I don't go to this place very often, anymore. I have mechanisms in place now to keep me from getting here, or staying long, if I do go here.  

• I have a list of accomplishments that I keep in a file on the computer. I add to this list as I go along.
• I keep emails, letters, notes of nice things people have said to me or about me. I read these when I need to remember that I am not as horrible as my critic is telling me.
• I have gone for counseling in the past, and, although I am not longer in counseling, I would recommend it to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed. It really does help you to see outside the box and get a fresh perspective on what is going on in your life.
• I am on low-dose antidepressant.
• I surround myself with positive people.
• I draw, read, create art, have coffee with friends, interact with people, mentor people (online and off), get involved with others with similar interests

I created this image, that is supposed to be far more positive, in response to the inner critic. This is supposed to be my inner cheerleader.

Inner Cheerleader - More positive image
My family and friends think I drew myself looking too scary.

However, I think it the cartoon of me is just as scary as the critic cartoon. It was supposed to be me cheering, however, I drew the teeth in the wrong angle.  Still, the colours are prettier and the words are nicer. I strive to be the things in this image, although I have not always succeeded. 

There were more Facebook comments left regarding this image.

Facebook Comments - Used with permission

I read a blog post some time ago about 20 Bad Habits Holding Good People Back. It is from the blog Marc and Angel Hack Life: Practical Tips for Productive Living and was written by Marc. I suggest you follow the link to read the full description of the 20 bad habits. It is well worth the read. Here is a quick listing of the habits.

1. Expecting life to be easy
2. Overlooking your true path and purpose
3. Chasing after those who don’t want to be caught
4. Not asking for help when you know you need it
5. Letting one dark cloud cover the entire sky
6. Holding on to things you need to let go of
7. Spending time with people who make you unhappy
8. Not making time for those who matter most
9. Denying personal responsibility
10. Letting everyone else make decisions for you
11. Giving up who YOU are
12. Quitting as soon as things get slightly difficult
13. Doing too much and pushing too hard, without pausing
14. Discrediting yourself for everything you aren’t
15. Running from current problems and fears
16. Constantly mulling over past hardships
17. Denying your mistakes
18. Expecting your significant other to be perfect
19. Focusing on the negatives
20. Not allowing things to be good enough

Through the magic of computers and digital technology I have created a less scary cheerleader image. Here it is.

My Inner Cheerleader - Rebooted 

Pen and Ink, Manipulated Photo, Digital Colour.

Thank you for reading my blog.