Notes To My Younger Self:

Honor your internal critic—she’s valuable. She can urge you through challenging experiences and elevate you to accomplish things you otherwise might not have the strength and fortitude to overcome. If left unchecked, though, internal critics can get power hungry, out of balance and instead of encouraging you when you think you can’t go on, they can be harsh, judgmental, fear mongers who fill your head with doubt, uncertainty and angst. When the messaging you hear from your critic feels less like a spirited coach urging you to persevere and more like an unrelenting drill sergeant spewing out verbal attacks, know that the feedback you’re getting is gone haywire and needs to be corralled and redirected to positive, supportive, nurturing language.

E.L. Chappel author of Spirit Dance/Storm Makers/Coming very soon: The Surge

A telltale sign your critic has gone off the rails is if she/he starts to compare you to others.

Reminding yourself that you are a unique, incredible being—a joy and a blessing who anyone would be lucky to know—is a surefire way to bring the wayward critic back in balance.

aka The Glamorous Wife