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Guest Post: How To Conquer Your Inner Voice Of Doom

16 Apr 2015

Synopsis

We are living in the age of the image - the perfect image. From the constant bombardment of air-brushed photos, to the dubious lifestyle choices promoted by celebrities and the obsession with social media, young women are under pressure as never before to project a persona of perfection. And this is having a catastrophic effect, with girls as young as seven developing eating disorders and female self-loathing reaching epidemic proportions.

True Face shows you how to resist the pressure from the 'perfection police' and take off the masks you wear to proudly reveal your true self to the world. In chapters dealing with body image, bullying, social media, love, sex and more, Siobhan Curham encourages young women and girls to be honest, dream big, and create lives that are happy and fulfilling. Keep Calm and Carry On is replaced by a new mantra: Forget the Fake and Keep it Real. This book is a breath of fresh air. Perfect for ages 13+ - and for the Girls fan in her 20s/30s too!


Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK
 

How to Conquer Your Inner Voice of Doom by Siobhan Curham

 
‘You’ll never become a writer.’
‘You’re not good enough.’
‘You’re not from the right background.’
‘People from council estates don’t become writers.’
‘You shouldn’t even be at uni. You should be working in a shop.’

When I was a teenager I became plagued by statements like the ones above. So much so that I ended up dropping out of uni and giving up on my writing dream to go and work in a shop. But it wasn’t someone else doing the taunting, it was my own inner voice – or my Inner Voice of Doom as I like to call it.

All of us have an Inner Voice of Doom; that voice inside your head that tells you that you’re just not good enough, clever enough, attractive enough, enough enough.

And if we’re not careful, we can let this voice control our decisions, like I did, and end up in situations, jobs, relationships and lives that leave us unhappy and craving more.

I hated the jobs I did after dropping out of uni. And thankfully, after a few years, I was able to drown out my voice of doom with a much more positive inner voice. One that said things like:
'You have just as much chance of becoming a writer as anyone else.’
‘You are good enough – or at least you might be.’
‘People from council estates can become writers.’
‘Coming from that background gives you a wealth of material to draw upon.’
And in the end, this spurred me on to write my first novel and finally get my first book deal.

The fact is, our Inner Voice of Doom is only trying to protect us.

When I told myself I didn’t have what it takes to become a writer it was because I was so scared of being rejected and told that my work wasn’t good enough.

But not taking the risk left me just as unhappy if not more, than if I had tried and not succeeded.

My book, True Face contains various exercises to help you overcome your Inner Voice of Doom.

Here’s a simple one to get you started…

Jot down some of the favourite things your Inner Voice of Doom likes to say.

Then go through each one, asking: can I absolutely know this to be true?

For example, if you sometimes tell yourself that you’re not attractive enough to get a date, is this absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt true?

And when you realise that no, of course it’s not, come up with a positive alternative such as: I am attractive enough to get a date.

Write it down and really let the words sink in.

Start gathering evidence to back up this statement. When I was starting to believe in myself as a writer I found examples of successful writers, such as Jimmy McGovern, who had come from similar backgrounds to mine. I used their careers as proof that it was possible for me to make it too and this helped me massively.

And when I did finally achieve writing success I vowed to myself that I’d never let my Inner Voice of Doom run the show again.

I still have an Inner Voice of Doom and I’m pretty sure I always will, but thankfully I’ve now discovered the mute button.

True Face is all about dreaming boldly and living fearlessly and authentically.

You can find out more over on the website: www.TrueFaceRevolution.com
 


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