Actions are real. Words are real. Feelings, well, that’s for a different post. But thoughts just aren’t. They are in your head. They don’t exist because they are just thoughts. Don’t get me wrong, they certainly feel real, and can produce real effects on your body. We “think” that what goes on up in our heads is the be-all and end-all manifestation of our true inner core, or soul, or self. Nope. They are just thoughts.
This can be incredibly liberating to think about. I know that it is for me (the times I choose to remember it). And that’s because it is the first step you have to take before you can begin quieting the dreaded “inner critic.” It’s kinda like the first step to solving a problem is acknowledging you have one. Only, in this case, the problem is in your head and it isn’t real. But believing that thoughts aren’t real (and they aren’t) is only the first step in quieting that inner critical voice.
This is lifelong work. Work that will only quiet and not silence.