Many clients come to me because they struggle with low self-confidence and anxiety issues which are often rooted in their childhood. This Tedtalk, presented by Susan Henkels, MSW, is a clear demonstration of how people develop self-judgments and anxieties in response to their early childhood experiences. She described how her father’s criticisms of her (which began at age 4) caused her to “keep her mouth shut” and close her heart. She explained that she lost her voice and self-confidence in turn for safety from her father’s continuous judgment and blame. She internalized all sorts of “wrongs” with herself until much later in her life when she began to ask herself in the mirror each day, “What if there’s nothing wrong with me?”. Through this practice she chose to leave negative self-beliefs behind and opened her heart to strength and fulfillment. This practice sounds like a great way to begin to unravel self-limiting beliefs!
What does your inner critic say? How does it silence you? Is it time to take your voice back? Watch this TedTalk and then give it a try – ask yourself in the mirror each day, “What if there’s nothing wrong with me?” and then strive to live each day into that possibility.
Contact Strength in Heart for more information on how to regain your voice and the strength in your heart.