The purpose of our brain is to enhance survival through the prediction and control of future outcomes. More specifically, the right hemisphere, biased toward anxiety and shame, wants us to always worry about whether we are acceptable to others, and is always anticipating anxiety and shame. Concern about the future and being accepted by the group have been woven into our genes, brains, and minds. Some of us have especially harsh and critical inner voices that never let up. This may be because we had critical parents, have a bias towards depression, or lack self-confidence and feel ashamed of who we are.
Because these voices seem to come from deep inside of us, we forget that they are memories, and we come to identify them as who we are. A central aspect of taking control of our lives is to understand the voices as memory programming errors and learn how to interpret, manage, and mitigate their negative effects, even if they ever go away. We may even need them in some instances when their advice is accurate and actually helpful. But we all need to learn which of these voices are counterproductive and to be able to ignore them. This is one way that understanding how your brain evolved and developed can turn your mind into your friend.
