Day 19:Meeting My Inner Critic

This post is part of my 30 day journey reflecting on Carl Jung’s teachings and how they unfold in my own life. Each day, I explore a different aspect of the psyche, inner growth, and self discovery through personal reflection.

Today I spent some time noticing the voice inside me that criticizes everything I do. It is the voice that says I should have known better, I should not feel this much, I should not have made that mistake. This inner critic appears quickly and quietly, almost like a shadow that follows every step.

Jung believed that this voice often comes from old experiences and old fears that were never fully spoken. When I listen closely, I realize that my inner critic is not trying to hurt me. It is trying to protect me from disappointment or rejection. It just learned the wrong way to do it.

Instead of pushing this voice away, I tried to talk to it gently. I told it that I understand why it feels the need to warn me all the time. I told it that I am safe now. I told it that it does not need to be so harsh.

And in that small moment, the heaviness inside my chest softened. I felt a tiny space open for kindness.

I am learning that I do not have to fight my inner critic. I only need to understand it. When I approach it with compassion instead of fear, it loses its power. It becomes quieter. Softer. More like a reminder that I am human and still growing.

Today I chose to speak to myself the way I would speak to someone I love. And that choice made my world feel a little gentler.