The Inner Critic
A huge shoutout to all my resilient, forward-thinking, and glass-half-full boss babes out there.
It’s an empowering and exciting vibe to carry around. But lately, it hasn’t felt quite so organic.
Lately, I have felt inadequate, overwhelmed, and mentally exhausted. Not my usual state of mind.
Owning a small business has its ebb and flows. You know how the cliché goes, “be your own boss” or “Work your own hours”. The truth is “be your own boss” is code for 100% responsibility and “work your own hours” means a 50- 60-hour workweek.
Throw in the added stresses of Covid-19 lockdowns, and business closures, it can be a recipe for disaster.
If you’re a glass-half-full kind of person, finding yourself in a foggy headspace can leave you feeling a little “stuck”.
I know for myself, my usual strategies to remain focused, busy, and optimistic just didn’t seem to help me unstick my current mental exhaustion.
The thought of returning to work after an extended lockdown made my heart pound.
Every time I hear a covid-19 press conference I couldn’t sit still. And the thought of the “rules” changing again gives me another surge of anxiety.
I think I have lived with some form of anxiety my whole life. As a little girl breakfast would leave me with a “tummy ache” and my school years are just a blur.
And as a young adult, I would question anything and everything that required my attention.
The current Covid- 19 situations have allowed my inner critic to undermine me. A narrative that constantly tells me “You’re not prepared enough” “You don’t belong here” “you will fail”.
I know it’s important to have an inner critic to help you check in with yourself, but when it has a warped version of what is really going on for you it can be the time for some intervention. So intervention is what I found thanks to the Beyond Blue New access program for small business owners.
I really had no idea what to expect, but I was prepared to listen, learn, and do the work that was required to ‘unstick’ myself once and for all.
Learning to shift Thoughts, behaviours, and feelings is integral to reducing anxiety, physical triggers, and all that comes with it. Through the Beyond blue program, I have learnt about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) a road map to help change automated negative thoughts. Teaching you to reroute your inner critic to nurture not hinder.
When I look back on the past 18 months, it’s no wonder I had mental exhaustion.
I have achieved some remarkable things. I have managed to navigate my way through a global pandemic, all the while setting up a new boutique studio, launching an online program, and receiving a business NSW business award. (Acknowledging these things in a positive light is incredibly healing)
Pushing through an undermining inner critic can be exhausting. It functions on a confirmation or negativity bias and is always searching for evidence to “prove” its theories.
Your subconscious mind created an internal commentary to help protect you. However, left unchecked these can subconsciously run and ruin our lives.
Do I see you nodding? Are these scenarios oh so familiar? Don’t stress, because you too can have access to the practical resources I have found through organisations like Beyond Blue
Business success is challenging enough, so I encourage you to reach out when you need to and lighten up on yourself!!!!!
If you would like to read more honest and helpful blogs about exercise and how it can be a great pathway to reducing anxiety and depression check out my other blogs.
If you would like to book a Personal training session, I would love to chat so send me a message on my contact page.
