You wouldn't shame your friends if they made a mistake or gained a few, so stop doing it to yourself. You have between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts a day, and research indicates that around 80% of them are negative. A certain amount of self-criticism is both normal and useful: in fact, it developed as a survival skill and can help us with personal growth and self-improvement. That is, until it becomes automatic and develops into negative...