Coaching practices for How Self Criticism Affects Relationships

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For How Self Criticism Affects Relationships, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • One look at what everyone else is doing and the voice in my head turns vicious
  • I’m brutal on myself the second I slip up
  • The voice I turn on myself after I mess up is brutal in a way I’d never speak to anyone else
  • I’d never speak to anyone else the way I speak to myself
  • The critic in my head runs nonstop but it’s all a blur

Practices that may help

  1. Apply self-compassion when comparison creates self-criticism
    When comparison activates self-criticism, meet it with the response you would give a close friend.
    Social Comparison Online: What the Research Actually Shows
  2. Extend the same generosity inward
    The charitable read is for your own behavior too — and refusing it for yourself fuels harshness toward others.
    Generous Interpretation
  3. Ahimsa toward the self: replacing self-attack with self-compassion
    Treat yourself after a failure the way you would treat a good friend in the same situation.
    Ahimsa: Non-Violence as a Daily Practice
  4. Replace critic monologue with compassionate self-talk
    Speak to yourself the way you would speak to a close friend in the same situation.
    Working With Your Inner Critic
  5. Recognizing Shame and Self-Criticism Patterns
    Name the specific self-critical scripts and their triggers before trying to change them.
    Compassion-Focused Therapy: Calming the Inner Critic
  6. Replace criticism with a specific complaint plus a need
    A complaint addresses a behavior; criticism attacks character -- only one is survivable.
    The Four Horsemen: Gottman's Warning Signs of Relationship Breakdown
  7. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain
    Criticism puts people on the defensive and rarely produces lasting change.
    How to Win Friends and Influence People, Made Practical
  8. Affirm before receiving critical feedback
    Do a brief values reflection before reading a critical evaluation so you can take in the information rather than defend against it.
    Self-Affirmation Theory, Made Practical
  9. Complain about the specific situation, not the person’s character
    Target the behavior or situation, never the person’s character or worth.
    The Soft Startup: How You Begin a Difficult Conversation Determines How It Ends
  10. Moving from other-validation to self-validation
    Gradually replace the need for your partner’s approval with the ability to hold your own self-regard.
    Differentiation of Self: David Schnarch’s Framework for Passionate Marriage

Related concerns

Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.

Practice this with IX Coach

Try this practice