Does anyone NOT have an inner critic?

[HorseGallopingOnATomato]

Is it possible?

This thread is really helpful to read. I'm going to try out some of the tips her to improve my inner critic's attitude!

Thanks for starting it, op.

My inner voice used to be awful very unkind to me. Never good enough , a product of my upbringing. I lived with constant change , rules , places, people , schools and I was hyper aware all the time of threat . I consciously decided to be kinder to myself, I always try hard and do my best and sometimes it doesn't all go according to my plan but that's ok.
I speak to myself sometimes like a child and am soothing and kind. That's helped, what also has helped us recognising when something has go well and I'll think to myself well done feelingdizzy.

Same as Bigsighall. I don't have an inner critic and have next to no anxiety in life either. I just trust myself that I'm doing to right thing and at the right stage in my life. Whenever partners would break up with me I just kind of naturally assumed it was an issue with them . I'm very confident and happy with myself which is the opposite of what society seems to expect of us. Somehow being humble deviated to constantly putting oneself down, even internally and it's depressing.

That's a good way of putting it Feelingdizzy . I think really the inner voice is our imagining of what others are thinking of us and judging us.

I read this thread with tears in my eyes.
I have an ok relationship with my mum now and my dad adored me.
But my mum was very self critical and worried about how things looked and inadvertently critical of me. When I was in my teens she always bemoaned what a bad parent she must have been for me to be like I was.
She also criticised my close ness with my dad and when I left a dv relationship in my 20s told me I was difficult to live with (which justified me being hit right?)
I know from counselling where the root of my inner critic is but can’t yet switch her off

MsAnnFrope, I’m glad you are having counselling. May I recommend cognitive behaviour therapy also? It will give you the tools to deal with the inner critic, rather than looking at where it comes from, which you already know.
I found that it was helpful to employ a “cognitive stop” - whenever the critic starts up, you use a firm word or phrase to shut it down, and then replace its criticism with a positive mantra, which either you or the therapist have chosen as particularly helpful and relevant for your own specific critic.
My sister used “Shut the fuck up!” to her critic, I used “Stop it”. Our abusive parents used to yell “You’re hopeless, helpless, and useless” on a daily basis, as a sort of triple whammy to destroy our self esteem. My therapist gave me “I am loving, I am loved, I am able”, as a counteracting triple mantra to say to myself.
It all sounds very hippy woo, but it is surprisingly effective when used repetitively over time. You can also practise praising yourself for things, however small or simple, to help change the subconsciously critical mindset and reprogram it with a confident positive attitude.
It’s not an instant fix, but really makes a difference over the months and years. I have almost silenced my inner critic now - it only pops out on rare occasions when I am very tired, ill or stressed.
I hope yours can be put to rest as well. Good luck!

Thanks @Babdoc for your kindness and your suggestion of CBT. I had some sessions for perinatal anxiety and it worked very well for me so I’m explore that.
With the counsellor we explore where the voices can from and essentially reparent the child who heard them do I can move on from that response.
I can definitely see the merit in dealing with the “symptoms” as well as the cause!

Placemarking, as thread recommended by another poster.

Yes, but we have a choice as to whether we listen to it or not.

Aw no, didn't realise people had this going on in such an extreme way. I'm the kindest person to me. My inner monologue is more like 'well you made a bit of a cock up there but sure nobody will remember by next week and you're awesome usually so feck it, it's fine'.

Thanks for making me aware of others struggles though with this, it makes sense.

Oh my goodness this thread was made for me.

The inner critic in me is so loud, I sometimes shout SHUT UP to it when I'm the car.

I'm not good enough, at work, at home, as a mother as a friend as a wife the list goes on.

I've done a lot of work on myself in the last decade. I'm kinder than I used to be. But my god it's hard.

My husband on the other hand is utterly baffled that this even exists!

@WishingHopingThinkingPraying I adore your inner monologue! I think I’ll adopt it.

Mine gets a lot quieter if I’ve slept well and exercised. If I don’t do these things for a few days she’s a complete bitch. Last week she was critiquing all my conversations with DH and finding fault with everything I said. Really tiresome!

I used to have a horrible, constant inner critic, mirroring mainly all the negative comments from childhood.

I had some therapy, started innerly sticking up for myself as if the 'critic' were saying those things to a best friend or little sister.
Innerly shouted "No!" a lot, or "how dare you! Go away!"

Somewhere along the line it did completely go away. My head is silent now, or filled with drifting random music - I find myself constantly absent-mindedly humming along. I also reverse-aged about 10 years!

I self-reflect at set sessions now (meditation), and my mind becomes like an inner conference - hearing lots of different opinions and insights. Abuse is not tolerated.

It's a much more tranquil life, and for anyone who still has an inner critic, I say unreservedly LTB!

My inner critics were originally real people, but once they were out of my life I slowly suffocated them. I still get a frisson when putting on a fitted sheet or telling people that they're wrong. Not quite there yet as I finish the vegetables before starting on the meat.