The Inner Critic Workbook: Self-Compassion and Mindfulness Skills to Reduce Feelings of Shame, Build Self-Worth, and Improve Your Life and Relationships

by Shawn Costello Whooley, Holly Yates, Mavis Tsai (foreword)

Are you your own worst critic? Do you live with the incessant chatter of your inner voice constantly on your case about how you never do anything right, how you're not good enough, and that you'll never be good enough? Does it sometimes feel like this unwelcome, unkind voice gets so loud that it starts interfering with your daily life? If so, you should know that you aren't alone—and there are steps you can take to get out from under the never-ending barrage of self-criticism. This workbook will help you learn how to see yourself with greater compassion and confidence.

The Inner Critic Workbook teaches you, step by step, how to turn down the volume on your inner critic, and crank up your confidence using proven-effective mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion strategies. You'll learn where this judgmental voice comes from, what's likely to trigger it, and how to soften it up with a little kindness directed inward!

A severe and unrelenting inner critic can make it feel like you're paralyzed with fear and self-doubt—and unable to move forward and reach your goals. If you're ready to replace "You aren't good enough!" with "You've got this," open this book, open your heart, and start caring for yourself in ways both big and small.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2025

About the author

Dr. Shawn Costello Whooley, PhD

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your experience with this book will likely depend on how much background you come in with. If you've been in therapy and read a few books on related topics, much of this book won't teach you anything new. Furthermore, I found it too surface level with regard to the exercises and action steps — the authors don't dive far enough into the challenges, both internal and external, their readers will face as they try to quiet their inner critic. I took away a few nuggets, but overall, this wasn't the most helpful read for me. I would only recommend it to those who are newer to the concepts.

[DW Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you show more grace and kindness outwardly to others than to yourself? If you've ever wondered why, this workbook – if you're willing to be honest and vulnerable with yourself – can truly help uncover what's behind that tendency. It's like the authors are your trusted friends you can get real with - and they're with you every step of the way with a guide for you to do the work to build your self-confidence and sense of self-worth. This book is the ultimate in self-care. 💕

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the publisher, New Harbinger, as a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you.

I thought the authors did a nice job focusing on a variety of therapeutic interventions to assist in working with the inner-critic. The worksheets were easy to understand and quite helpful. I like that you can choose a strategy from the table of contents and get right to work. Some workbooks are written in a sequential format and I appreciate how this was arranged. Hey, we all have THAT voice and need helpful ways to work with it. This is a winner for me.