Inner Critic: How to Recognize and Quiet the Negative Voice

Do you ever notice a voice in your head that tells you you’re not doing enough, that you should be better, or that everyone else seems to have it all figured out? Every person has 

Most of us have that part of ourselves that’s always watching, keeping tabs on how we’re doing. That voice can be helpful sometimes, but for a lot of people, it turns critical fast. Self-criticism usually comes in without us even noticing. It can get especially loud when things go wrong or feel uncertain. 

For a lot of people, that voice feels like their own. But what if it’s not really you? Sometimes, the inner critic is actually giving voice to an unmet need, like the need for safety, acceptance, or reassurance.

Let’s take a closer look at the inner critic.

What Is the Inner Critic?

The inner critic might sound like:

• “You should be doing more.”

• “That wasn’t good enough.”

• “Why can’t you get it together like everyone else?”

It often shows up with anxiety, pressure, and a sense that you’re constantly falling short. Because it sounds like your own voice, it’s easy to mistake it for the truth. But the inner critic usually reflects deeper emotional patterns, things like fear, shame, or old criticism you have picked up and internalized. 

Where Does It Come From?

The inner critic may stem from:

• Early messages from caregivers or authority figures

• Environments where love or worth felt conditional

• Social or cultural pressures around perfection and success

Maybe you learned early on that being perfect kept you safe. Or that staying quiet kept the peace. Over time, those external messages can become part of your internal dialogue.

The hard part is that even as life changes, that critical voice can stick around. It can start to affect your mood, your relationships, and how you see yourself. And when that voice is on repeat, it can contribute to anxiety, low self-worth, or feeling stuck in cycles of self-doubt.

The good news? Once you begin to notice where that voice came from, it becomes easier to relate to it differently, with more understanding, and a lot less power.