How do you feel about your experience if it is not ideal? If you make some mistake, make a mistake, how do you react to it? How long do you scold yourself and remember your wrongdoing? What is this experience about: how did you offend someone or failed to defend yourself? About the fact that you didn’t take advantage of a fortunate chance, that you missed an opportunity? Sometimes the inner critic is so strong that it can become an even more terrible executioner than any other external figure. The inner critic knows all our flaws, all the minor shortcomings, unfinished tasks... And at the moment of the next small step back, he pulls out this entire list, remembers every mistake - and dumps it all at once. But the fact is that we are people. We are imperfect. Sometimes we stumble, we make mistakes, we are wrong. This is our nature, from which you cannot escape. I sincerely believe that in such moments we need to treat ourselves with compassion and with all care. Therefore, I want to share with you a small affirmation that helps me to reason with my inner critic when necessary. I accept myself without judgment or any feeling of wrongness in my attempt. I accept myself as I was at that moment when I lived as best I could . I wish this hadn't happened, but I made the best choice I could at the time with the information I had. I owe nothing for this mistake. It's all over. I CAN FORGIVE MYSELF How did you feel after reading these words? What are the advantages and disadvantages of being harsh and critical of yourself? What does this give you? If you treated yourself more gently and with more acceptance, what would you lose in this case? What is the evidence for these thoughts? What are the advantages and disadvantages of being more gentle with yourself and your experiences? If you had this exact attitude towards yourself, what would it give you? What would qualitatively change in your life? If your friend or someone close to you scolded himself for past actions, what would you tell him? In what form would you express your support? If it were in a milder form than the one you apply to yourself, what is the point of these double standards? What do they give you?