5 Ways to Tame Your ADHD Inner Critic Infographic

When your inner critic takes over, take back control with this Tame Your ADHD Inner Critic Infographic.

For adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), our internal critic is often our worst enemy. There is already a proven link between ADHD and depression, and our internal critics certainly don’t help the matter, often making us feel even worse about ourselves. The louder and more often our critic shouts at us, the more we believe them. Protect yourself from that cruel negative self-talk with this Tame Your ADHD Inner Critic Infographic. 

Develop the skills and systems you need with this ADHD Inner Critic Infographic:

Tame Your Adult ADHD Inner Critic Infographic

1. Create a Persona for Your Inner Critic

Building an absurd picture of your inner critic makes it easier to separate yourself from negative thoughts. When it starts spouting nonsense, engage in a mental confrontation to interrupt the thought loop and shut it down.

2. Set Up an “Early Warning System”

Identify likely situations where your inner critic commonly shows up uninvited. Then pre-decide a response the next time it shows up. When it starts, STOP and push back with that pre-determined response. This will help slow down those negative thoughts from intruding and taking over.

3. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is simply sitting with yourself and experiencing your thoughts and feelings without interference. If your internal critic is being especially pernicious, even one minute of mindful breathing can calm you down.

4. Teach Your Inner Critic How to Treat You

Help your ADHD inner critic learn to reframe a thought by actively redirecting thoughts with positive thinking. For example, turn “You can never do anything right!” into “You sure struggled for a bit there, but you stuck with it long enough to work it out.” The more you practice, the easier it becomes.

5. Practice Positive Dialogue

Your ADHD inner critic is usually more vocal when you’re failing than when you’re succeeding. Just like you hear your inner critic beat you up, you can train it to be positive. Instead of focusing on the negative, celebrate success.

Use these 5 strategies to keep your ADHD inner critic’s personality in check.

We all have an inner critic, and it can be hard to tune out those intrusive thoughts. These strategies will help to shut down negative self-talk and build self-esteem to live your best life!

Read the full blog post here: 5 Ways to Tame Your Inner Critic with Adult ADHD for even more information and guidance.