Calming Anxiety
Quieting the Inner Critic Soft Goals & Soft Life Intentions
It is December 29th. The year is almost gone. Suddenly, a voice in your head wakes up. It whispers: "You haven't achieved enough this year. You are running out of time."The panic of the "New Year" sets in. You feel the pressure to write a list of resolutions that involve starving, sweating, and hustling your way into January.Stop.Welcome to Day 4 of our Holiday Decompression. Today, we are silencing the Inner Critic and rejecting the toxic "Hustle Culture" of January. instead, we are embracing the Soft Life.In this 10-minute guided session, we will:Confront the Critic: Acknowledge the voice that says you need to be "better" or "more productive" next year.
Turn Down the Volume: Visualize a mixing desk where you can manually lower the fader on your self-doubt.
Shift to Soft Goals: Replace rigid, punishing resolutions with intentions based on ease, flow, and kindness.
The script
Transcribed from the audio, so the odd word may be off. Tap any line while it plays to keep the words in step with Martin's voice.
Welcome to the calming anxiety podcast, quietening the inner critic. Today is the fourth day of our Christmas series.
So find your quiet place now. The end of the year is now inside, and often this is when our panic sets in.
You might be looking back at the last 12 months and think, "I didn't do enough. I didn't save enough money. I didn't lose that weight. I didn't get that promotion."
The inner critic, that harshest of voices in the back of your mind, wakes up and starts listing your failures.
It starts telling you that you are running out of time, that you are behind, but take a deep breath, then let it out.
This is a lie. You are not behind. You are exactly where you need to be.
The transition of a calendar year is just a number. It is not a judgement day.
Today though, we are going to silence that critic. We are going to reject the panic.
So find somewhere quiet to sit or lie down where you won't be disturbed and just follow along.
The world around you is currently screaming "New Year, new me." It is telling you that on January 1st you must transform. You must diet. You must hustle. You must wake up at 5am.
This is heavy energy. This is punishing energy. I want you to close your eyes and visualize that pressure as a heavy coat that you are wearing. It is weighed you down with stones labeled "expectations, hustle and perfection."
Feel how heavy it is on your shoulders. Now slowly unbutton that coat.
Go on, shrug it off, let it drop to the floor with a heavy thud. Step away from it. Feel the lightness return to your body.
We are not going into 20-26 with that weight. We are going to leave the hustle behind.
We are choosing a different path. Now let's deal with the voice, the inner critic. Visualize a large mixing desk in front of you. The sort DJs would use, like in a recording studio.
There are sliders and dials. One of those sliders is labeled "self-criticism."
Right now it is pushed all the way up to 10. It is really loud. It is distorted.
Reach out with your mind's hand. Place your finger on that slider and slowly pull it down, down to 8, down to 5. The voice, the critic, becomes mumbled.
Now down to 2. And then down to 0. Silence.
Now find the slider labeled "kindness." Push that one up. Let the voice of kindness fill your mind. What does kindness say to you? It says, "You've survived another year. You did do your best.
You are worthy of rest." And now imagine meeting your younger self. With all the love that you have for who you are truly deeply. How would you speak kindly, caringly, empathically, with encouragement?
Well why not speak to yourself exactly the same? We live with ourselves for all of our lives. So imagine speaking to who you are right now today into a mirror. And the words of kindness are reflected straight back at you.
Sit here for a moment, speaking kindly with understanding.
Feel true love and warmth from deep inside your soul. And finally love all that you are. You have turned down the noise, the critique. And you have amplified your self-worth, your kindness.
Now sit here for a moment, breathing in love, hope, ambition, holding at the top for a moment.
And as you exhale, repeat after me either silently or out loud.
I truly am worthy. I love all that I am. I forgive my past mistakes. And now just rest, listening to your heart be, feeling the rhythm of your breathing.
Instead of rigid resolutions that are destined to fail, let set soft goals for the year ahead.
A soft goal is not about achievement, it is about feeling. Ask yourself, how do I want to feel in 2026? Do you want to feel at ease? Do you want to feel flow?
Do you want to feel safe? Visualize the year ahead not as a mountain that you have to climb, but as a river. You have a boat. You don't have to row upstream against the current.
You just have to push off from the bank and let the river carry you. Ease, flow, trust. Repeat these following words silently within your beautiful mind. I release the need to hustle.
I choose a soft life. I choose to be kind to myself.
Hold on to that feeling of flow. When you are ready, gently wiggle your fingers and your toes. Take a deep mindful breath in, pausing just briefly and then as you breathe out, maybe stretch out the muscles in your arms and legs. And finally, open your eyes.
You are ready for the new year, not because you are perfect, but because you are at peace.
I'm martin, this is calming anxiety, and as I head into the new year, there are many items I didn't tick off the box. I didn't get that toned physique I was always wishing. I didn't achieve a lot of things, but what I did achieve was a sense of peace at who I am.
A level of calmness I've always searched for, but more than that, true happiness finally.
It's taken me years, and it's why I produce calming anxiety. With mindfulness, with daily time for me, I finally found who I am, and I hope you do too.
Have a lovely day, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, and in everything, especially to your beautiful self, my friend.
Be kind.