Being too hard on yourself is a hard pattern to break

Create psychological distance from self-criticism by personifying it. Choose a silly name, like “the little monster” or “gremlin”, or, why not, Darth Vader. Purchasing a small Darth Vader action figure for your desk reminds you t...

Sometimes, our impression of ourselves does not match others’ impression. This is called the spotlight effect — a tendency in which you misjudge and overestimate how much attention others pay to your behavior.

Our minds are wired to make meaning and answer questions; the sensitive brain is making connections and anticipating eventualities. Studies have shown that sensitive people have more active mental circuitry and neurochemi...

Take a few moments at the end of your workday to reflect not only on your professional highlights (praise, recognition, positive reviews, etc.), but also to consider moments where you made yourself proud. Acting in integrity with your values is the true definition of success.

Being hard on yourself can ruin your mood, focus, and productivity. Luckily, shame and humiliation – two emotions that are common with self-criticism — are shown to only last between 30 to 50 minutes.

As a sensitive striver, you likely have a tendency to define achievement in a hyper-specific way, that is, complete and total excellence at all times. You don’t need to lower your bar, but you do need to broaden your scope of what qualifies as a “win.”

Achieving the desire...