Self-criticism can be a powerful motivator. It can also really harm your mental health - increasing your anxiety. Teens use self-criticism a lot to motivate themselves and they also seriously struggle with anxiety. Self-compassion (being nice to yourself when you mess up) is the answer! At first glance, teens often think that if you're nice to yourself when you mess up, you'll actually lower your standards and spend all day watching Netflix. Research shows that's not actually the case. Self-compassion actually helps you be more productive and keeps you happy and reduces your anxiety! Check out the episode to find out how!

For some extra reading, check out:

Dr. Kristin Neff's work at www.self-compassion.org

and

Rachel Simmons's article in The New York Times called "The Promise of Self-Compassion for Stressed-Out Teens"