You’re being too critical of yourself.
This world is centered around pressure. We are always thinking about how much we have to do and how little time we have. We constantly fear the future instead of living in the present moment. This is a never-ending cycle that can lead to anxiety and depression.
It’s as if we love to live in a state of criticism. This struggle is not just limited to the individual; it is a societal problem that we are all a part of. The world around us is constantly changing, and we can’t keep up with it. We try to make sense of this change by categorizing people into different groups, blaming others for what has happened in our lives, and judging people for their beliefs, values, and actions.
Being self-critical is something that many of us talk about and, oddly enough, creates a negative experience in our lives. As people, we’re criticized daily for everything from eating to how we look. The information that comes from criticism turns into information that leads to beliefs that influence the makeup of who we are. We end up being the victim, judge, and jury of our lives. Are these critiques what make us feel crappy about ourselves? The answer to this question is most likely “yes.” Self-criticism can be a form of self-sabotage when we criticize ourselves for avoiding success.
I understand the importance of reflection and finding ways to improve, but where does the line draw when our reflection becomes a detriment?
Reflection is an important part of the learning process. It allows us to analyze our progress and make necessary changes to our work. Reflection stems from self-awareness and critical thinking. It’s coming from a place of giving yourself grace and understanding how you can improve instead of attacking every flaw about us as people or as a society. You know, growing and being introspective instead of looking at what’s happening in the world and saying, “You’re wrong! I’m right! And I have to destroy you because your opinion is not valid!”
We should be aware of the different techniques that we can use to improve our reflection skills, such as:
- Taking timeouts during a task or project
- Recognizing patterns in mistakes
- Making a plan for future improvement
As long as you have breath in your body, you have the ability to change who you are!
