How to activate your inner champion
What is an inner champion?
Before I answer the question about the difference between your inner champion and inner critic let me firstly refamiliarise you with the term inner critic:
We all have an inner critic, but not all of us let it run riot.
This relentless, negative self talk often expresses criticism, frustration or disapproval about our actions and its frequency, volume or intensity is very different for each us.
Inner critic dialogue originates from our “threat defense system,” is anxiety-provoking and shaming and so paralyses your sense of motivation and get up and go.
Whereas our inner champion is more supportive and encouraging and emerges from our “caregiving system”
When the Inner critic shows up it can result in unhealthy behaviours such as avoidance and procrastination, in order to reduce anxiety and stay safe when it is largely not necessary to do so.
In other words, because you are frightened or anxious about a particular situation, you adopt self protection mechanisms and put on your breaks too soon, often depriving yourself of adventure, enjoyment, pleasure and spontaneity.
How unhealthy is that!
So how do you activate your inner champion instead of your inner critic?
Developing compassion can be a way of bringing our emotions into a helpful balance that increases our sense of well-being.
Increasingly, research is showing that if we focus on developing compassion and kindness for ourselves and others this really does help settle our feelings.
The inner champion is an aspect of the self that supports us and helps us to feel better about ourselves.
It encourages us to be who we truly are rather than fitting into the box our inner critic creates for us.
According to author, Kathleen Quinlan: “The inner champion will help us let go of beliefs that tell us we are powerless to change what clearly violates our right to peace and safety and show us the reality of Love and its power.”
Other terms are used to describe our inner champion too such as: inner coach or inner cheerleader.
It may seem a mammoth task and a huge mountain to climb right now, however, here’s how to turn down the volume of your inner critic and, as I like to call it, my inner DJ’s sound system:
Awareness is the first step to recognising and letting go of your inner critic. Many of you won’t have even realised its presence until now.
Acknowledge and make friends with your inner critic instead of continually arguing and battling with it.
It may help to visualise a strong and wise part of yourself, that is, your inner champion gently removing your inner critic from its stage or soapbox.
Using the more playful side of your character and sense of humour, invent a nickname like I did such as DJ, Zippy, Chimp or Top Dog.
If you notice your inner critic taking over, imagine it is a record turn table so that you can turn the volume down or that it’s a tape, play or film that you can rewind. Slow down. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and gently say no.
So how do you activate your inner champion instead of your inner critic?
If you’ve ever fancied being an actor or even a Hollywood star, now’s your chance:
Well, at least to practise in your own home. It’s a visualisation exercise by Positive Psychology Expert, Seph Fontane Pennock, and his Team and is about getting into a role from the inside and involves practising states of compassion: