Welcome to the article on how to separate yourself from your inner voice. If you are someone who struggles with negative self-talk, you are not alone. Mo Gawdat, a former Google executive and author of the book Solve for Happy, suggests that part of the happiness formula involves acknowledging your inner critic and understanding that you are not your negative thoughts.

It might seem challenging to separate yourself from your inner voice, but with an open mind—and a fair share of humor—you can achieve this. Give your inner voice or critic a name, speak to them, and let them know that you’re in charge. For instance, Gawdat calls his inner voice Becky because it creates a third-party separation. By doing so, you will recognize that the thoughts in your head are not entirely representative of you.

It is essential to understand that our brains have a biological function of looking at the world around us, making sense of it, and turning it into thoughts. But we should not take those thoughts and equate them with our whole being. Once you realize that your brain is a third party, you can make a deal with your inner voice. It can provide you with useful or positive thoughts, and anything else isn’t allowed. You are in charge. By taking those thoughts and trying to find something more joyful in the picture, you can shift your perspective and attitude towards life.

Mindfulness Cards

Journaling is an effective way to create space for a new kind of dialogue with yourself. It allows you to become more intentional with how you speak to yourself and fill up your system with positive thoughts. Writing down things that you are grateful about yourself and your life in The Five Minute Journal, and showing yourself a sign of confidence with a positive affirmation, can take the power away from your inner critic.

Sometimes things will go wrong, and your panicked inner voice will creep up again. The answer isn’t to run away or be afraid of that inner critic but to acknowledge it and listen to it in silence. Practicing mindfulness can help redirect your focus away from what’s going on in your head. Mindfulness is a personal pursuit, but some easy routes to presence include deep breathing, listening to a guided meditation, taking a gratitude walk, or focusing on a single object in your view. Even spending a few minutes practicing mindfulness during a stressful situation can break your connection to negative thoughts and realign you with your true consciousness.

Mindfulness Journals

Lastly, start observing how your brain functions like a curious external observer. Are there certain situations or people that trigger your mind to act out and your inner critic to become extra loud with negative talk? Note down those mental triggers and work towards cutting them out of your life or improving your attitude towards them. By becoming an investigator of your own mind, you gain power over it and get to reset the rules, so that there’s no longer a negative inner voice writing the script of your life. You become the sole author.

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