Dr. Marcia Sirota – There’s a lot of bullying going on these days. We find it in schools, in the workplace and online.

There’s one form of bullying that rarely gets talked about though, and it’s creating a lot of misery. I’m talking about self-bullying.

When we grow up, we take in everything we hear from our parents, family members and authority figures around us. In fact, it becomes a big part of our inner monologue.

When the messages we take in are positive, we develop confidence and good self-worth; when we hear a lot of critical or rejecting messages, we develop what I call the “Inner Bully.”

The Inner Bully is the voice in our head that tells us that we’re not smart, capable, attractive or lovable; it tells us not to bother trying something because we’re just going to fail; it tells us that we don’t deserve to be treated with love or respect. Continue reading →