As a child, we have an underdeveloped 'logical' sense of self, so often, there is just this critical thinking that is deployed and developed to (literally) keep us alive, because without adults, we wouldn't survive... so how does the inner critic help?

Having had one absent parent, and one who exhibits high amounts of narcissistic traits, birthdays were never really about me...

From a former 'self hater', who healed her relationship to herself and is now a therapist being others do the same...

Ah, boundaries; a complicated yet very simple thing that becomes a barrier to living (and loving) our lives & unleashing 'who we truly are'.