September 2025: When Your Inner Critic Sounds Like a Drill Sergeant: Silencing the Negative Self-Talk
“You’re not smart enough to be here.” “You made a mistake? Unacceptable. You should have done better.” “Everyone else gets this faster than you.” “If you don’t get straight A’s, you’re a disappointment." Sound familiar? Many of us carry around this negative “inner critic” that consistently tells us we aren’t “enough”. The inner critic is the internal voice that criticizes, judges, and pressures you - often more harshly than anyone else would. This is why the common phrase is “you are your own worst critic”. This voice might feel like it’s “motivating” you, but the reality is that our inner critic most often makes you feel ashamed, guilty, and unworthy, rather than encouraging growth. We see this a lot in college, as this is the breeding ground for self-criticism. With balancing academics, social life, finances, and figuring out who you are as a person, it makes sense that the “inner critic's” voice shouts louder and louder. Some common ways we see this is: Academic Pressure...