Creating Holy Habits: Banishing Your Inner Critic
Did the pandemic throw all of your habits out the window? Whether you are home alone or surrounded day and night by the people you love, it seems our good habits vanished overnight. What used to be automatic, now takes great mental effort and energy to accomplish. You might be wondering why you feel so out of sorts and unable to get back to some semblance of normalcy. If you are like me, your Inner Critic has been working overtime to point out all the ways you are failing.
Many of us are struggling to re-form the habits which supported our pre-pandemic days. Sadly, our toxic negative self-talk is often standing in the way. Changing our minds helps God change our hearts. Connecting with Him in prayer is the most important Holy Habit we can form, and it’s easier when we’re not giving our valuable mental real estate over to negativity.
Summerly Sherlock, @redingtonly.
One tangible Holy Habit we can begin in these lingering days of the pandemic is to eliminate negative self-talk. What you say to and about yourself determines how you see God, other people, and whether or not you are open to the Holy Spirit’s nudges.
Notice without judgment what you are saying and thinking about yourself. This negativity might be more common than you think. When you find yourself saying anything negative concerning yourself, make a note of what you are saying and what triggered the comment. Write the statements down or record them on your phone. Each time you notice the negativity, laugh and say, “Oh, there it is again.” Laughing at yourself is key here.
After you recognize your own triggers and negative comments, you can rewrite your script. Find a Scripture verse which is the opposite of what you typically tell yourself. When the trigger arises, immediately speak the words of Truth from your chosen Scripture verse.
Changing how you speak to yourself allows you to change the habits forming the foundation of your day. It allows you to persevere through your struggles by filling you with greater confidence in your ability to partner with God.
You are a beautiful, wonderful daughter of a loving, compassionate God. He wants to see your heart shine so that you can share His love with a hurting world. This is impossible if you are tarnishing your own halo.
Meet Katie Kibbe
Katie believes women have the superpower of building bridges in broken communities while applying band-aids to skinned knees. She uses words to inspire women to connect with Christ and others through prayer pondering, and action. Katie is married to the boy she met in Spanish class. They wait patiently for their two young adult children to return home with their laundry. She writes at www.katiekibbe.com, you can find her on Instagram @katie_kibbe.