Be Your Own Best Friend with Criticism

Do you experience criticism at work or at home? 

Belonging to groups, whether friends or family, are often charged with a background fear of being accepted. 

Do you ever say "I am my worst critic?" This is true for many of us.

Shifting this long-standing cultural pattern can be tough to understand and develop trusting relationships with. Here, we'll use a process of consistent clarity and radical gentleness that can transform how we experience criticism because within us, we have a team of supportive cheerleaders.

This course is a great opportunity to bring more clarity to how we maintain a sense of safety within ourselves. The Self as Self-Mentor that we practice in Focusing is not realistically available in many moments of our day. How do we make it clear that 'whoever is running the show in this moment' understands our values?

During our time together, we will intentionally rewire with clarity that our inner world is a safe place. As we do this, our inner critic dynamic naturally becomes less useful. We will learn the nuances of acknowledging criticism and judgement. We will get better at recognizing hidden assumptions that create chaos.

And importantly, we'll practice patience. Our outer-inner critic dynamic is a complex mesh of tangles that developed over time. In fact, these dynamics are often intergenerational. Life becomes lighter as we consistently show up, convey our team spirit, and trust in ourselves as living process.

This course series is centered around exploring and improving your relationship with yourself from wherever it is now. We will explore how our brain works using current neuroscience concepts. We will use various body awareness, mindfulness and Focusing activities to become familiar with our own individual inner processes around what it means for us to be our own best friend.

Each course consists of five weekly 1.5 hour classes. 

Classes will include time for sensing within yourself, mindfulness exercises to adapt into your daily life, opportunities to become more familiar with how to navigate your inner landscape, Presence language exercises, writing, art and body awareness/movement activities and a few Demonstrations of Focusing-in-action. There will be some reading and handouts provided by email. We will not be partnering with others in the class here, only working individually. Focusing experience is not required, although it will certainly add to what you get from this class. You will be able to go deeper on the themes offered here if you already have experience.

The uses of Focusing that apply particularly to the space we create here are: 
• practicing self-care and compassion
• making clear decisions
• knowing what you really feel and want
• releasing emotional and intergenerational burdens
• transforming inner critics to supportive protectors
• nurturing a sense of self-worth
• being an accepting understanding friend
• improve overall communication skills
• increase patience, intentionality, gratitude and body awareness

A goal of this series is to hold space for ourselves in a way that we experience ourselves as living process. We will find it easier to give ourselves space when we need it. 

Be Your Own Best Friend with Criticism - Two Offerings

Five Tuesdays 7 - 8:30pm Eastern New York Time or your equivalent

Feb 3, Feb 10, Feb 17, March 3, March 10

Our time moves forward an hour on March 8, 2026

Also available: 

Five Wednesdays 12 - 1:30pm Eastern New York Time or your equivalent

Feb 4, Feb 11, Feb 18, Feb 25, March 4