Constantly slowing down and paying more attention to your thoughts will help you notice self-criticism. Negative emotions such as doubt, guilt, shame, and worthlessness are often signs of self-criticism.

Self-criticism isn’t innate to us, it’s internalized based on outside influences, such as other people’s criticism, expectations, or standards. It’s a habit that can be unlearned or controlled.

Our brains automatically look for evidence that matches up with what we believe about ourselves, but often disregards other evidence to the contrary.