3 Potions to Help You Banish The Inner Critic and Live A More Authentic Life
Right now I’m imagining a medieval apothecary filled with various cures and recipes passed down through generations.
This shop would carry potions on its shelves for the worried mind, the “NOT GOOD ENOUGH” creative mind, and the hidden suffering and quietness of the compassionate type-the one that feels things a little too deeply.
Identifying the Inner Critic
How many times have you tripped over your thoughts — I say tripped as if to say they come rushing in one after the other and it can be paralyzing in the moment. The “I’m not good enough…” and the “Why did I say/do/behave that way…” thoughts. The common players.
The inner critic is universal. Every human being depends on other people physically, emotionally, and throughout a lifetime for acceptance and psychological well-being. Connection and disconnection become important motivators that foster approval (e.g. am I enough?), acceptance, and protection.
The powerful witches know this and have through generations come up with a recipe to help you work through your difficult emotions. They want you to know any of the powerful elixirs below have a homework component. And that magical component, dare I say healing salve… is writing.
Right now, I’m traveling back in time to let you in on a little secret-writing and even sharing in public is transformational. When we write our stories, we write our truth. We become the hero instead of the victim in our stories.
Sure, writing can initially be scary but it doesn’t have to be. I learned a trick from powerful witches that used powerful spells like oil of swallows and syrup of serpents created in the back rooms of improper businesses. And yes, that trick is writing; I call it a trick in that it’s so accessible and it works so well that it must not be real…a forgery…a sleight of hand, but it is in fact real.
But fear not, these powerful witches mean no harm. Their purpose is twofold: one is to show you that there’s power in vulnerability. Two is a reminder that there’s not just one way to be HUMAN.
And right now, I’m taking you on a self-discovery journey to learn how these potions will magically help you on your writing journey.
3 Tailored “Potions” to Help Banish Your Inner Critic and Help You Live More Authentically
1. Courage Potion
An elixir with a picture of a skull and bones on the bottle which is very appropriate considering my sailor background! This elixir will go down hot (like eating 1 ghost pepper) but will provide all the courage you need. It should be taken with a little fear/worry because after all a little bit of worry motivates us to do many things.
2. Trust Potion
An elixir that helps you to trust your gut; an elixir that reaches your stomach with a quickness like watching your favorite Buffalo Bills player dart in and out of wide receivers as if their feet had wings!
3. Imagination Potion
A potion with a picture of one of the all-time favorite fantasy stories-The NeverEnding Story. This potion tastes like 1000 tiny bubbles and serves to lift you out of your mundane and into your fantasy world-a world where nothing is real and where we use lies to tell the truth.
These are the go-to potions for any good beginner writing journey. And the witches have one small favor before you take your potions. They ask that no matter what, you just begin. You show up and put pen to paper and you write and write even if it doesn’t make sense. In the apothecary business, it’s not all that glamorous as you well know. But it is healing. They just want you to begin.
And when you do begin, don’t hold back.
Let. It. All. Go. And in good time, you will write your way through to your future self, restored and renewed.
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Written by: Adina Silvestri, EdD, LPC
Adina Silvestri, EdD, LPC is a licensed professional counselor, certified brainspotter, certified hypnotherapist and writing hope merchant in Richmond, Virginia where she works with children and adults at her private practice. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Silvestri started an online expressive writing group, Writing Bravely, which works to improve people's physical and psychological health by writing your way through to your future self.
Photo Credit: Ingrid Santana on Pexels
Date of download: 8/26/2022
