Inner critic

Our mind can often be like a harsh bully, ready to attack when we feel most vulnerable. It can make us feel weak and powerless.  

Our mind follows a familiar script it's been given when we were young. It repeats those voices we heard most often, and will keep speaking to us the same way we were spoken to. 

But we don't have to believe everything it's telling us about us. When that harsh voice pops in and starts becoming loud and obnoxious, we can take a step back and just notice what it's telling us without immediately defending or believing the content of those words. 

We might even say to ourselves "oh that old story again, I've heard this before." We might ask, "what else is there?"