Most of the time, you should tell the voices in your head to shut the hell up.
Exceptions:
I am over 85% sure I left the oven on.
Didn’t I bring more kids than this to the mall?
THAT is definitely a lump and I need to get it checked out.
I deserve more “me” time.
Cake makes everything better.
But otherwise, in my admittedly limited experience, the voices in your head, ok, my head, are idiots. Also, they are you. OK, me.
Those voices tend towards the confirmation bias. That is, reinforcing what you already believe to be true about yourself, always in the negative. Or they compare you unfavorably towards other people you know, especially if you particularly admire those people and definitely if you envy them at all.
Related, and much more interesting than anything I just wrote, read this great piece from the New York Times about parenting roles.
I call them “the committee.” The committee has talked me out of a lot of things, and into a lot of potato chip bags. I must say, the Prozac, lo these many years, has helped a lot. I hardly ever go back to check the oven anymore.
I agree 100% My voices in my head are so loud sometimes, but your exceptions are spot on.
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