An extract from Mark's book: Make peace with you mind: How mindfulness and compassion can free you from your inner critic.

Begin by writing out a list of your top five or ten self-judgments. Then for each judgment, go through each of the four questions below, writing out your responses.

1.​ Is this judgment or belief true?

2. How can you know this judgment or belief is really true?

3. ​What do you get for holding on to this judgment or belief? (Or: Can you think of one good reason for holding on to this judgment or belief?)

4.​ Who or how would you be without this judgment or belief?

Once you have gone through the questions with some of your judgments, notice what happens internally. What is your experience like when you begin to question and challenge the judgments?

You can continue this reflection process each time you are harangued by a painful self-judgment. You may only need to use one or two of the questions — sometimes the question “Is this judgment true?” is enough. The more you question the validity of the critic’s judgments, the more you will undermine its previously unchallenged strength.

This process is not necessarily about creating new views. It is about questioning the faulty ideas and beliefs long held in your mind by the critic. Inner peace comes from seeing that you cannot be defined by stories, views, or negative thoughts about yourself. The more you release the burden of painful self-judgments that are no longer relevant, the more accessible inner peace will be.