Tools to use · for teens

That voice in your head

For when your brain won't stop telling you you're not good enough. This worksheet helps you get to know your inner critic, separate it from you, and find something true and kind to say back.

Fill it in on screen, or print it and work through it by hand.

The voice

You know the one. It says things like:

  • “You're so stupid”
  • “Everyone thinks you're weird”
  • “Why can't you just be normal?”
  • “You always mess everything up”
  • “They're only being nice because they feel sorry for you”

Sound familiar? That's your inner critic. And if you have ADHD, yours is probably louder, meaner, and more convincing than most people's.

Here's why: by the time you're a teenager, you've had years of people correcting you, reminding you, telling you to try harder, focus more, calm down, sit still. Even if they meant well, your brain recorded every single one. The inner critic isn't making stuff up. It's playing back a greatest hits album of every negative thing anyone ever said to you.

Just because it's loud doesn't mean it's right.

Let's get to know this voice so you can start to challenge it.

Your answers stay on your phone

Anything you write here is saved on this device, in this browser, so you can come back to it later. It isn't sent to me or anyone else, and nobody else can see it. Just remember that anyone who uses your phone could open this page too. If you use a private or incognito window, or clear your browser history, your answers won't be kept.

1

Meet your critic

What does your inner critic say most often? Write the actual words, the ugly ones.

Whose voice is it? A teacher? A parent? Kids at school? Your own voice?

When is it loudest? Tick any that apply.

  • After I make a mistake
  • When I'm comparing myself to others
  • At school or in lessons
  • At night when I'm trying to sleep
  • When I'm tired or overwhelmed
  • After a social situation
  • When someone gives me feedback
  • When I forget something or mess up

Where do you feel it in your body?

  • Tight chest
  • Churning stomach
  • Tension in shoulders or jaw
  • Heavy feeling all over
  • Heat in face
  • Wanting to disappear
2

Name it

This sounds weird, but it works. Give your inner critic a name. Not your name, a separate one. It could be funny, it could be serious. The point is to separate YOU from THE VOICE.

Some people call theirs:

  • Norman, or Norma*
  • The Gremlin
  • Brain Radio
  • The Commentator

My inner critic's name is:

Now when it starts up, you can say: “Oh, there's [name] again.”

This matters because when the voice is just “me thinking”, it feels like truth. When it's “[name] going off again”, you can step back from it. It's still annoying. But it's not YOU.

3

Fact or feeling?

The inner critic is brilliant at disguising feelings as facts. Let's separate them.

Example: The critic says “You're the dumbest person in the class.” Fact or feeling? Feeling. The fact might be: “I found that lesson hard and I didn't put my hand up.” Rewrite: “I struggled with that topic. That doesn't mean I'm stupid. It means I need to learn it differently.”

Your turn:

Round 1

Critic says:

Fact or feeling?

  • Fact
  • Feeling

What's actually true?

Rewrite:

Round 2

Critic says:

Fact or feeling?

  • Fact
  • Feeling

What's actually true?

Rewrite:

Round 3

Critic says:

Fact or feeling?

  • Fact
  • Feeling

What's actually true?

Rewrite:

4

The best friend test

This one's simple and powerful. Think about what your inner critic said to you recently. Now imagine your best friend told you they were thinking that exact same thing about themselves.

What would you say to them?

Why is it so much easier to be kind to them than to yourself?

Can you say that kind thing to yourself? Even once?

Try writing it here as if you're talking to yourself the way you'd talk to your best friend.

5

Evidence collection

Your inner critic only collects evidence for the prosecution. Let's build the defence.

Things I'm actually good at (even small things, especially small things):

Times I helped someone or made someone's day better:

Something I've got better at over time:

Something that's hard for me but I keep trying anyway:

A compliment someone gave me that I dismissed but was probably true:

6

Your comeback

When the critic starts up, what can you say back? Not fake positivity: something that's true AND kind.

Pick one, or write your own:

  • “That's [name] talking, not me.”
  • “I'm doing my best with a brain that works differently.”
  • “I wouldn't say that to my friend, so I'm not accepting it from myself.”
  • “Hard doesn't mean impossible. Struggling doesn't mean failing.”
  • “I don't have to be perfect. I just have to be me.”

Write your comeback somewhere you'll see it. Phone lock screen, mirror, inside your planner. Wherever.

7

This week's experiment

Don't try to fix the inner critic all at once. Just try one thing this week.

Pick one:

  • Notice when [name] shows up. Just notice, don't fight it. How many times a day?
  • Do the best friend test once when the critic is loud
  • Add one thing to your evidence collection every day
  • Use your comeback line once

What I'm going to try:

What happened? Fill this in at the end of the week.

One last thing

The inner critic gets quieter. Not silent, quieter. The more you notice it, name it, and talk back to it, the less power it has.

You've probably been listening to this voice for years. It's not going to shut up overnight. But you can turn the volume down. And one day, you might even be able to say: “Thanks for your opinion, [name]. I've got this.”

If you're working with a coach, bring this to your next session and talk through what you found.

If the voice is saying more than this. If it's telling you that you'd be better off not here, or you don't feel safe, please don't keep it to yourself. Talk to a trusted adult or your GP, or contact Childline on 0800 1111 or text Shout on 85258. You deserve support, and it's there.

* Naming your critic is adapted from an idea shared by Pippa Simou, an ADHD coach, at the ADHD Parenting Summit 2026.

When the inner critic is running the show

If that voice is really getting to you, you don't have to work it out alone. Show this page to a parent or carer. They can get in touch and book a free call, and we'll talk about what might help.

This worksheet is one of many tools I use with the young people I coach. Each client gets their own toolkit, all designed for ADHD brains and all designed to work on their phone.

Get in touch