{"id":75416,"date":"2025-02-08T08:40:56","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T08:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alternative-medicine\/how-to-break-the-cycle-of-self-criticism\/"},"modified":"2025-02-08T08:40:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T08:40:56","slug":"how-to-break-the-cycle-of-self-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416","title":{"rendered":"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"cycle<\/p>\n
\n

Break The Cycle of Self-Criticism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In mindfulness circles, there\u2019s a popular story about an encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It goes something like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n

HH the Dalai Lama is taking questions at a conference and a Western meditation teacher asks him about how to help people who suffer from self-hatred.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There ensues a protracted and vigorous exchange between HH and his translator. The Dalai Lama looks confused and keeps asking questions.<\/p>\n

After some time, the translator reveals that there is no such word or concept in the Tibetan language, so he was having trouble explaining the idea of self-loathing to HH. It was a completely new idea and phenomenon to the revered monk.<\/p>\n

The story is a compelling example of how a concept that we take for granted here in the West is completely foreign elsewhere. It\u2019s a uniquely Western affliction.<\/p>\n

The Epidemic of Self-Criticism<\/h2>\n

And the scourge of self-loathing is no mere concept or curiosity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve previously shared with you, one of my former teachers, the late Harvard psychologist and Buddhist teacher Dr. Daniel P. Brown, called self-criticism a cultural epidemic.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s one reason why we spend so much time focusing on self-compassion<\/strong> during the Coming Home Mindfulness Meditation Training Program<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I left the ashram after 14 years of intensive monastic training, I was mostly oblivious to the need for self-compassion. As a seasoned meditation practitioner, it seemed like a frivolous if not indulgent concept to me<\/p>\n

But now, I can\u2019t imagine my life without it.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the problem. The inner critic is a common and pervasive tyrant. Yet, most of us don\u2019t see it. At least, that was the case for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s so common that it\u2019s hidden in plain sight.<\/p>\n

What are some common manifestations? Our culture valorizes perfection and endless achievement. As a result, many of us feel\u2013in our work, in our relationships, in our family life\u2013that we are not enough just as we are.<\/p>\n

Many of us internalize that cultural narrative and it becomes our own story.<\/p>\n

Mindfulness Shows Us We Are Already Enough<\/h2>\n

But mindfulness meditation shows us that the opposite is true. We are whole and enough just as we are.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As we develop in our practice, we come to experience a space of inherent wholeness. That space is untouched and unbowed by that punitive taskmaster in our head.<\/p>\n

At the same time, we become familiar with that unforgiving self-critical narrative. And when we see it, we can actively offer ourselves compassion in response. We begin to create a different narrative.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Research shows that the more we practice being kind and compassionate with ourselves using formal meditation practices, the more we\u2019ll increase the habit of self-compassion.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Kristin Neff<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Increasing The Habit of Self-Compassion<\/h2>\n

Simply seeing and identifying that self-critical voice in our head is half the battle. Remember, if you can name it, you can tame it.<\/p>\n

These days, if I\u2019m unsettled or upset, I often inquire into whether the source of my discontent is that relentless inner taskmaster who is never satisfied.<\/p>\n

More times than I can count, I have found that the missing ingredient of the moment is self-compassion and self-friendliness.<\/p>\n

Breaking the cycle of self-criticism takes time and persistent interest. Building a consistent meditation practice is a beautiful start to that process and a proven method.<\/p>\n

According to self-compassion researcher Dr. Kristin Neff<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Research shows that the more we practice being kind and compassionate with ourselves using formal meditation practices, the more we\u2019ll increase the habit of self-compassion.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you are suffering from self-criticism, I encourage you to join me for one of the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Training Programs<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Break The Cycle of Self-Criticism In mindfulness circles, there\u2019s a popular story about an encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.\u00a0 It goes something like this.\u00a0 HH the Dalai Lama is taking questions at a conference and a Western meditation teacher asks him about how to help people who suffer from self-hatred.\u00a0 There ensues a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11764],"tags":[6792,22233,3346],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-75416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alternative-medicine","tag-break","tag-criticism","tag-cycle"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Break The Cycle of Self-Criticism In mindfulness circles, there\u2019s a popular story about an encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.\u00a0 It goes something like this.\u00a0 HH the Dalai Lama is taking questions at a conference and a Western meditation teacher asks him about how to help people who suffer from self-hatred.\u00a0 There ensues a […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-08T08:40:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-08T08:40:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416\"},\"wordCount\":627,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"break\",\"Criticism\",\"Cycle\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Alternative Medicine\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416\",\"name\":\"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-08T08:40:56+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism - Som2ny Network","og_description":"Break The Cycle of Self-Criticism In mindfulness circles, there\u2019s a popular story about an encounter with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.\u00a0 It goes something like this.\u00a0 HH the Dalai Lama is taking questions at a conference and a Western meditation teacher asks him about how to help people who suffer from self-hatred.\u00a0 There ensues a […]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2025-02-08T08:40:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":853,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism","datePublished":"2025-02-08T08:40:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416"},"wordCount":627,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg","keywords":["break","Criticism","Cycle"],"articleSection":["Alternative Medicine"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416","name":"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg","datePublished":"2025-02-08T08:40:56+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/incense-20420961280.jpg","width":1280,"height":853},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=75416#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How To Break The Cycle of Self Criticism"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75416"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=75416"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=75416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}