How do I stop being so hard on myself?

Being excessively hard on yourself is like having a cruel critic living in your head, constantly pointing out your flaws, mistakes, and shortcomings while dismissing your efforts and achievements. This harsh inner voice often develops from early experiences where love or approval felt conditional on performance, leading you to internalize impossible standards for yourself. You might have grown up with critical parents, teachers, or peers who made you feel like you were never good enough, or you might have developed perfectionist tendencies as a way to feel safe and in control. The irony is that self-criticism rarely motivates positive coping with change - instead, it often leads to Anxiety disorder, Major depressive disorder, and paralysis that makes it harder to achieve your goals. Start practicing self-compassion by noticing when your inner critic is active and consciously choosing to respond to yourself with kindness. Ask yourself: 'What would I say to a good friend going through this same situation?' Usually, you'd be much more understanding and encouraging to others than you are to yourself. Challenge perfectionist thinking by remembering that making mistakes is part of being human, not evidence that you're fundamentally flawed. Practice acknowledging your efforts and progress, not just your outcomes. When you mess up, try to respond with curiosity rather than judgment - 'What can I learn from this?' instead of 'I'm such an idiot.' Remember that self-compassion isn't self-indulgence; it's actually more motivating than self-criticism because it creates a safe emotional environment where you can take risks and grow.