Your Inner Critic Is A Terrible Screenwriter - Time To Rewrite Your Future

Your thoughts aren't reality so quit letting them control your future.

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

Lately, I’ve spent too many sleepless nights mentally drafting conflict scenes with a work colleague, running through every possible outcome.

Perfecting comebacks, predicting every reaction, and generally losing sleep over conversations that haven’t even happened!

I’d wake up exhausted, drained before the day began, with nothing resolved.

Do you feel like you’re stuck on autopilot, cycling through the same anxious thoughts, hesitation, or frustration?

It’s like following a script you found on your dining room table and can't put down.

One that keeps pulling you back into the same pointless scenes with nonsensical plots going nowhere.

In many ways, you are. And the screenwriter behind it?

Your inner critic.

Your inner critic’s flawed script (and why you keep following it)

Your inner critic (mine is called Maeve) loves recycling old plotlines.

They’re often a know-it-all, dictating what's best for you. They don't care if you've had personal growth, new experiences, or want a different future.

Screw that!

Instead of letting you shape what happens next, they keep running scripts like:

• It's OK if I push hard now, as I'll crash later.

• I don’t have what it takes to change things. I'm letting everyone down.

• I should just stick to what I know, and then I won't fail.

• They think I'm stupid. I should have known how to answer that question.

• They don't respect my opinion or listen to what me because I'm useless and weak.

These aren’t truths or facts. They’re a badly written script overdue for an edit.

The best part is how quickly you can reframe these thoughts and biased memories through cognitive restructuring.

With self-aware practise and repetition, your new script takes hold through neuroplasticity. This is how you’ll create a future built on post-burnout growth.

Self-awareness is your secret weapon

The first step to burnout recovery is self-awareness. If you don’t know what’s going on, it’s hard to make informed and helpful decisions.

Self-awareness isn’t about noticing unhelpful thoughts, emotions, and behaviours but about knowing what to do with them.

Nir Eyal, behavioural scientist, breaks it down into three elements:

1. Introspection - noticing your thoughts, emotions, and actions to build self-understanding

2. Self-reflection - processing and making sense of them within a wider context

3. Insight - defining solutions so you act with this knowledge.

He suggests using solution-focused language, so instead of spiralling into ‘why am I like this?,’ try ‘What’s driving this pattern, and what can I do differently?’

This shift takes you from analysis paralysis to helpful action.

How to take back the pen and rewrite your future

Use this three-step approach to rewrite your future:

1. Spot the overused plotlines

What story are you following but no longer serves you?

• Are you the plucky fighter who can’t stop pushing, even when you’re exhausted?

• The ‘lucky one’ who worked hard but secretly fears being caught out (aka impostor syndrome)?

• Or are you living someone else’s script, stuck in a role that keeps others happy but leaves you drained i.e. becoming a doctor or lawyer to make mum and dad proud and avoid disappointing them (or rejecting you)?

• If the plotline keeps you stuck, it’s time for a rewrite.

Reflection prompts:

• What past stories or unprocessed losses are shaping your choices?

• What beliefs or roles no longer fit?

• Would you choose this script for your life? If not, what needs to go?

• What new role do you want to step into?

2. Identify which burnout pattern has main character syndrome

Your burnout pattern is the unhelpful coping strategy taking the starring role. Your inner critic whispers in your ear to nudge you down this road.

• Are you The Marching Soldier, grinding yourself into exhaustion?

• Perhaps The Perfectionist, controlling everything to avoid failure or judgment?

• Or The Overthinker, mistaking rumination and analysis paralysis for progress? This is where I’ve been stuck in the early hours lately. Anxiety tricks us into believing its a helpful strategy. It’s not, so nip it in the bud quick.

• Recognise your burnout pattern to tailor how you break the loop.

Reflection prompts:

• Which 1-2 burnout patterns keep you stuck in this old script? Review the table below and pick what resonates:

• Every main character evolves through the hero’s journey, so what’s your next move to shift the narrative?

• You’re not starting from scratch so reach into your memory and choose a strategy or activity you’ve had success with before.

3. Write the next scene with future you in mind

James Clear, the habits guru, says identity shapes habits. So instead of focusing on past mistakes, ask ‘What would future me do differently right now?’

• You don’t need to map out the whole story right now.

• Visualise how future you’d rather respond in your work or life.

• Write the next scene to move you towards this future. It doesn’t have to be a big, dramatic set-piece.

• A small tweak compounds into meaningful change over time and with repetition.

Reflection prompts:

• If failure isn’t an option, what’s your next step?

• Who or what will support future you in making it happen?

• Set a date, time, and context to take action. Change happens when you do something.

You’re not trapped but in a rewrite phase

Feeling stuck on autopilot doesn’t mean you’re doomed to repeat the same old, tired plotline. You’re not trapped but in a rewrite phase.

Start tweaking the dialogue with your inner critic, cut the bad plot twists, and steer things in a direction that works for you.

A rewrite phase can feel messy, but it’s not failure - it’s progress.

Instead of letting old narratives run the show, get intentional about your thoughts, emotional responses, and habits.

You don’t need to know the full ending, just the next scene to keep it manageable.

Nail that, and you’ll build the agency to move forward, not with overthinking, but with curiosity and control. It’s enough certainty to mitigate stress and anxious responses.

Of course, rewriting your story is easier said than done when your inner critic is lurking, ready to drag you back into old scripts.

Here’s how to stop it from hijacking your rewrite.

Stop your inner critic from running the show

Remember your inner critic isn’t the enemy - it’s just a crappy scriptwriter and faulty narrator trying to conserve your energy.

Since change is effortful, it wants to maintain the status quo and keep you ‘safe’ by doing the same stuff. But it reinforces the same stories even if they don’t help.

Use these strategies to keep it at bay. Don’t let it wrestle your new story from you:

1. Start by naming it.

   1. For example, Maeve, a$$hat, The Judge etc., to create psychological distance. This helps you challenge what comes up in your thoughts as you can shift your perspective.

2. Challenge using clear evidence to contradict its claims.

   1. For any plotline or unhelpful thoughts you want to let go, list three real pieces of evidence.

3. Use befriending to reframe the message with self-compassion.

   1. It’s sometimes hard to reframe your thoughts when you’ve had them for decades. Use the befriending technique and ponder what a supportive friend would say to you - they’re often kinder to us than we are to ourselves.

   2. Instead of "I’ll never get this right," try "This is tough, but I’ve figured out difficult things before."

Small shifts like these retrain your brain to focus on growth rather than self-doubt.

It’ll turn your inner critic into a more constructive guide.

Key Takeaways

Your current reality isn’t your final draft.

You get to decide what happens next, and that's the exciting part of life we often forget.

Big changes start with small steps. It's an overused description but it's true.

Use this three-step approach to rewrite your inner critic’s crap plotline:

1. Spot the overused plotlines getting in your way

2. Identify which burnout pattern has main character syndrome

3. Write the next scene with future you in mind.

Be strategic to get psychological distance from seemingly true statements from your inner critic:

1. Give it a name to dispel its power

2. Challenge its mutterings with clear evidence

3. Consider what a kind friend might say to you instead.

Take this structured approach and build a future you want without the naff plotlines and unhelpful characters.

Make it one you’ll love and actually work for who you want to be.

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P.S. If you’d like to rewrite your unhelpful plotlines with a guide, book a free 25m call with me to see how I can help. You don’t have to go it alone.