I have been working on this workbook this month and got stuck today. Most of the words I chose for myself were “negative” and it was very hard to answer the questions about Write how you can appreciate this about yourself. And the one that says Notice what you might be holding back because you are afraid of what others think of you and how can you turn up the volume?

Today I wrote that I am critical. Of self and of others. And I couldn’t come up with something to appreciate about being critical or that I would even want to turn up the volume and be more critical! I do not like this about myself.

I’m constantly self-criticizing and I’m constantly criticizing others (at least in my head) and I think that that has caused so many rifts in relationships. I struggle to let go of thoughts I have about other people and I ruminate often about things said or done to me (or things that I think were done to me because I made certain things mean something in my head).

How do we answer these questions if we don’t like this trait? And if it’s affecting me negatively, why would I want to be MORE of that?