{"id":117262,"date":"2019-11-12T11:00:03","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T11:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=117262"},"modified":"2023-03-16T08:55:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T08:55:50","slug":"self-critical-signs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm","title":{"rendered":"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_117263\" style=\"width: 277px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/3767631163_be732b7e0a.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117263\" class=\"wp-image-117263 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/3767631163_be732b7e0a-267x400.jpg\" alt=\"self-critical\" width=\"267\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/3767631163_be732b7e0a-267x400.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/3767631163_be732b7e0a.jpg 333w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-117263\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/biscuitsmlp\/3767631163\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">smlp.co.uk<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Being self-critical is a serious problem.<\/strong> Research connects it to a greater risk of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/depression-symptoms.htm\">depression<\/a>*,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/rise-in-self-harming.htm\"> self-harm<\/a>**, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/causes-eating-disorders.htm\">eating disorders<\/a>***.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333333;\"><strong> And yet many of us don&#8217;t realise just how much self-criticism is our norm, until we<\/strong> find ourselves <a style=\"color: #333333;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/first-therapy-session-what-happens.htm\">in therapy<\/a>, listening more closely to our thoughts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How to know you are seriously self-critical<\/h2>\n<p>What are the signs that you are actually a self-critical person?<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">1. You have different standards for yourself than friends.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Think about the last time a<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-find-friends.htm\"> friend<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-cope-life-is-crazy.htm\">went through a hard time<\/a>. What did you say to them? Did you encourage them, tell them they would handle this?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Try saying those same things out loud to yourself. Does it feel<\/strong> ridiculous and silly? It will, if you tend to beat yourself up even as you are nice to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-feel-so-alone.htm\"> friends<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">2. You deflect compliments.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>The next time someone compliments your outfit, hair, your work, or otherwise, notice how you handle it. Do you<\/strong> make an excuse, or diminish the compliment? \u201cOh, this bag? It was on sale.\u201d \u201cOh thanks, but really I had help on the report, so I can\u2019t take credit.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\">If our inner soundtrack is self-critical we simply can\u2019t just say, \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/gratitude-tips.htm\">thank you<\/a>\u2019 to a compliment. It goes against our deep-rooted, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/examples-of-core-beliefs.htm\">unconscious belief<\/a> that we are flawed and could do better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">3. Your partner and\/or friends are always criticising you.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You might not realise you are self-critical if you are sure that it\u2019s your partner or<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/friendship-and-love.htm\"> friends<\/a> who are the critical ones, and see yourself as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/live-life-like-victim-12-ways-tell.htm\">the victim<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But often we choose such people to be in our lives because they mirror what we ourselves are thinking.<\/strong> And sometimes we are even, without realising it, pushing that person to criticise us. Read more in our article, \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/constant-criticism.htm\">Are You Mistakenly Encouraging Criticism<\/a>?\u2019.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">4. You agree and go along with others, even if later you regret it.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Do you ever hear yourself <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/laughter-does-it-really-improve-your-psychological-health.htm\">laughing<\/a> at a joke, then cringe inwardly because the subject of the joke actually goes against your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/personal-values-know-yours.htm\">personal values<\/a>? And then spend a day <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/being-hard-on-yourself.htm\">beating yourself up<\/a> for not speaking up? Or do you often say yes, when inside you are already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-communicate-stress.htm\">regretting<\/a> having to do yet another thing you don\u2019t want to?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #800080;\">If we are self-critical we can<a style=\"color: #800080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/psychological-projection-are-you-making-everyone-else-responsible.htm\"> project<\/a> the need for approval we aren\u2019t getting from ourselves onto others. So we become <a style=\"color: #800080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/codependency-symptoms-modern-times.htm\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">a pleaser <\/span><\/a>with <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #800080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/healthy-boundaries.htm\">poor boundaries<\/a><\/span> who never speaks up.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">5. You blame yourself when things go wrong.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>A mind stuck in a critical perspective is prone to<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/why-we-put-the-blame-on-others.htm\">blame<\/a>, and often you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/its-all-my-fault-self-blame.htm\">blame yourself<\/a>. Even in situations that really are outside of your responsibility, you find a way to make it your fault. Your brain immediately creates a \u2018should have, could have\u2019 list.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_117264\" style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117264\" class=\"wp-image-117264 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-400x369.png\" alt=\"self-critical\" width=\"400\" height=\"369\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-400x369.png 400w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-500x461.png 500w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-117264\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">photo by taylor smith<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-esteem-for-teens.htm\">teen<\/a> is late after walking to school when your car breaks down and you think, if only you went for that MOT, or told your child to leave earlier, or walked with them. You don\u2019t for one second consider that they are responsible for stopping to talk to people on the way.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">6. You had a critical parent.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Did you have<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/bad-parents-are-you-one.htm\"> a parent who always criticised you<\/a> for the way you behaved? Or made you<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/feeling-not-good-enough.htm\"> feel you weren\u2019t enough<\/a>? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/adult-sibling-rivalry-stop.htm\">Compared you to a sibling<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><strong>If they didn\u2019t criticise you verbally, did they withdraw their<\/strong> love or attention unless you were \u2018good\u2019 and pleased them?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Self criticism is often a learned behaviour. Even if we swore up and down once we were<\/strong> independent and an adult we would never be like our parent, we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-the-unconscious-mind.htm\">unconsciously<\/a> internalise their critical voice.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">7. Or you experienced a difficult or traumatic childhood.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes it\u2019s not a critical parent, it\u2019s a tough childhood that causes you to be self critical.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-are-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces.htm\">\u2018Adverse child experiences\u2019, or ACEs<\/a>, are a set of challenges that can leave a kid with the idea they simply aren\u2019t good enough when they can&#8217;t stop bad things from happening. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-can-i-remember-childhood-trauma-abuse.htm\">childhood trauma<\/a>, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/i-think-i-was-abused-as-a-child.htm\">abuse<\/a> of any kind, severely damages a child\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/a-sense-of-self-who-am-i.htm\">sense or self<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/low-self-worth.htm\">worth<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Unless you get help to process such experience(s), you\u2019ll end up an<\/strong> adult with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-change-your-core-beliefs.htm\">limiting beliefs<\/a> and a voice in your head telling you you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/feeling-not-good-enough.htm\">aren\u2019t good enough<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">8. There is a constant sense that you can\u2019t keep up with all that needs to be done.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Self criticism stops us from enjoying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/achieving-goals.htm\">achievements<\/a> and recognising the mini accomplishments we reach each day. Instead it creates an atmosphere of &#8216;always striving, never arriving&#8217;.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">9. You constantly compare yourself to others.<\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_117268\" style=\"width: 274px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/8646272319_413af8559c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117268\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-117268\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/8646272319_413af8559c-264x400.jpg\" alt=\"self-critical\" width=\"264\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/8646272319_413af8559c-264x400.jpg 264w, https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/8646272319_413af8559c.jpg 330w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-117268\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">By: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/bluevelvetteapot\/8646272319\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer\" \">Bruna Schenkel<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>When you arrive at a party, what\u2019s the first thing you do? Any chance it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/comparing-yourself-to-others.htm\">comparing yourself to others<\/a>? If you are dressed as well as others, if the dish you bought is as good as the dish others bought, if the host seems to like you as much as the others?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"color: #333399;\"> Comparison can be such a habit we don&#8217;t realise it&#8217;s just a vessel for self criticising.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">10. Your focus is on what isn\u2019t working in life.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There is a right and a wrong, a good and bad.\u00a0 The hotel is bad because there was dust on the sideboard, regardless if it was good otherwise. A<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wrong-career-path.htm\"> job is good<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/is-my-boss-a-sociopath.htm\">if your boss likes you<\/a>, regardless if you are not being challenged in. it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You aren\u2019t one to see in-betweens and shades of grey. Known as<\/strong> \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/black-and-white-thinking-stop-drama-addict.htm\">black and white thinking<\/a>\u2019, this is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/cognitive-distortions.htm\">cognitive distortion<\/a> &#8212; an incorrect way of seeing reality. And you\u2019ll apply it to yourself, too. You are a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/am-i-a-good-person.htm\">good person<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/can-you-be-selfish-and-still-be-a-good-person.htm\">bad person<\/a>, depending on the day.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #993366;\">11. Despite all your troubleshooting, you are not excelling in life.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s the thing about self-criticism &#8212; it takes a tremendous amount of headspace.<\/strong> It also blocks you from taking chances and from recognising your unique gifts then using them to get ahead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The end result is that even if you try very hard to be great, or even<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/perfectionism-helping-or-harming.htm\">perfect<\/a>, you might get to a point you realise you are behind in life, and behind your peers. Perfect fodder for another round of intense criticism.<\/p>\n<p>Or, you could get support.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Can therapy help me stop being so self-critical?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/do-you-need-therapy.htm\">Therapy<\/a> helps you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/how-to-listen-to-yourself.htm\">recognise what you actually think and feel<\/a>. And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-makes-a-good-therapist.htm\">a good therapist<\/a> will help you recognise your inner strength and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/find-your-inner-resources.htm\"> resources.<\/a>You can start to see all the things that are actually going alright for you, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/overanalyse-choice-paralysis.htm\"> make better choices<\/a> that mean you<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/being-happy-why-is-it-so-hard.htm\"> feel good<\/a> about yourself.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Time to stop letting that self-critical voice in your head rule your life? We connect you with some of London&#8217;s most committed and experienced talk therapists who can help. Or use our <span style=\"color: #333399;\">booking site<\/span> to find <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/?utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">UK-wide registered therapists<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/harleytherapy.com\/therapists?location_type=skype&amp;utm_source=Harley%20Therapy%20Blog&amp;utm_content=Post%20End\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">online counsellors<\/span><\/a> you can access from anywhere in the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Still have a question about being self-critical? Or want to share your experience with other readers? Post below. Note that we monitor comments and do not allow harassment or advertisements.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-117271 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/headshot-yellow-397x400.png\" alt=\"Andrea Blundell\" width=\"170\" height=\"171\" \/><strong>Andrea M. Darcy<\/strong> is a mental health and wellbeing expert and writer. She also runs a consultancy helping people find their perfect therapy and therapist.\u00a0<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333399;\">She had a real problem with self-criticism and found CBT therapy enormously helpful in breaking the habit. Follow her on Instagram for useful life tips<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/am_darcy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> @am_darcy<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>FOOTNOTES<\/p>\n<p>*Luyten, P. , Sabbe, B. , Blatt, S. J., Meganck, S. , Jansen, B. , De Grave, C. , Maes, F. and Corveleyn, J. (2007), <strong>Dependency and self\u2010criticism: relationship with major depressive disorder, severity of depression, and clinical presentation.<\/strong> Depress. Anxiety, 24: 586-596. doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/da.20272\">10.1002\/da.20272<\/a><\/p>\n<p>**Lisa H. Glassman, Mariann R. Weierich, Jill M. Hooley, Tara L. Deliberto, Matthew K. Nock,<br \/>\nChild maltreatment, non-suicidal self-injury, and the mediating role of self-criticism, Behaviour Research and Therapy,Volume 45, Issue 10,2007, Pages 2483-2490, ISSN 0005-7967, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0005796707000824?via%3Dihub\">https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0005796707000824?via%3Dihub<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>***Thew, G. R., Gregory, J. D., Roberts, K. and Rimes, K. A. (2017), The phenomenology of self\u2010critical thinking in people with depression, eating disorders, and in healthy individuals. Psychol Psychother Theory Res Pract, 90: 751-769. doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/papt.12137\">10.1111\/papt.12137<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Andrea M. Darcy Being self-critical is a serious problem. Research connects it to a greater risk of depression*, self-harm**, and eating disorders***. And yet many of us don&#8217;t realise just how much self-criticism is our norm, until we find ourselves in therapy, listening more closely to our thoughts. How to know you are seriously [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":117264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[118,454],"class_list":["post-117262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-self-esteem","tag-low-self-esteem","tag-self-worth","has_thumb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you more self-critical than you realise? Learn the signs that you are hooked on self criticism and why you put yourself down so much\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are you more self-critical than you realise? Learn the signs that you are hooked on self criticism and why you put yourself down so much\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-11-12T11:00:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-16T08:55:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"654\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndreaMDarcy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HarleyTherapy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Andrea M. Darcy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm\",\"name\":\"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/self-in-mirror.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-11-12T11:00:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-03-16T08:55:50+00:00\",\"description\":\"Are you more self-critical than you realise? Learn the signs that you are hooked on self criticism and why you put yourself down so much\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/self-in-mirror.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/self-in-mirror.png\",\"width\":709,\"height\":654,\"caption\":\"photo by taylor smith\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/self-critical-signs.htm#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog\",\"description\":\"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\",\"alternateName\":\"Harley Therapy\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/images\\\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\\\/counselling\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/harleytherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/HarleyTherapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/harley-therapy\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/c\\\/HarleyTherapyCoUk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/harleytherapy\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/uk.trustpilot.com\\\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.reviews.co.uk\\\/company-reviews\\\/store\\\/harleytherapy-co-uk\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.crunchbase.com\\\/organization\\\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Are you more self-critical than you realise? Learn the signs that you are hooked on self criticism and why you put yourself down so much","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot","og_description":"Are you more self-critical than you realise? Learn the signs that you are hooked on self criticism and why you put yourself down so much","og_url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm","og_site_name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","article_published_time":"2019-11-12T11:00:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-03-16T08:55:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":709,"height":654,"url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Andrea M. Darcy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndreaMDarcy","twitter_site":"@HarleyTherapy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Andrea M. Darcy","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm","name":"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot - Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png","datePublished":"2019-11-12T11:00:03+00:00","dateModified":"2023-03-16T08:55:50+00:00","description":"Are you more self-critical than you realise? Learn the signs that you are hooked on self criticism and why you put yourself down so much","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png","width":709,"height":654,"caption":"photo by taylor smith"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/self-critical-signs.htm#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"More Self-Critical Than You Realise? 11 Signs to Spot"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","name":"Harley Therapy\u2122 Blog","description":"Self-Help for Better Emotional Health","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#organization","name":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling","alternateName":"Harley Therapy","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/images\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/cropped-harleytherapypsychotherapycounsellinglogo.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Harley Therapy - Psychotherapy & Counselling"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/harleytherapy","https:\/\/x.com\/HarleyTherapy","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/harley-therapy","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/HarleyTherapyCoUk","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/harleytherapy\/","https:\/\/uk.trustpilot.com\/review.harleytherapy.co.uk","https:\/\/www.reviews.co.uk\/company-reviews\/store\/harleytherapy-co-uk","https:\/\/www.crunchbase.com\/organization\/harley-therapy-psychotherapy-counselling"]}]}},"modified_by":"Marvee Franco","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png",709,654,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-400x369.png",400,369,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png",709,654,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-500x461.png",500,461,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png",709,654,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror.png",709,654,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-200x200.png",200,200,true],"featured":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-200x200.png",200,200,true],"related":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-180x120.png",180,120,true],"widgetthumb":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-50x50.png",50,50,true],"slider":["https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-content\/uploads\/self-in-mirror-600x200.png",600,200,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Andrea M. Darcy","author_link":"#"},"uagb_comment_info":1,"uagb_excerpt":"by Andrea M. Darcy Being self-critical is a serious problem. Research connects it to a greater risk of depression*, self-harm**, and eating disorders***. And yet many of us don&#8217;t realise just how much self-criticism is our norm, until we find ourselves in therapy, listening more closely to our thoughts. How to know you are seriously&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117262"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138344,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117262\/revisions\/138344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}