Self Compassion

You had a hard day. You did not meet your productivity goals. You said something that hurt your friends feelings. In any of these situations, most of us would automatically be hard on ourselves. To be kind to ourselves might feel self-indulgent or guarantee we continuing making the same mistakes.

 Self Compassion isn't self-indulgent.

When we acknowledge our emotions in a non-judgemental way we process our experience in a way that allows us to learn from it.  You are not wrong for feeling pain, sadness, regret or any emotion.

Imperfection is the human condition.

When we accept that we are still growing and learning and subject to making mistakes, we acknowledge our humanness and can realize that we are not alone.

Self-compassion means treating yourself as kindly as you would treat a friend who needs that support.

Self compassion includes adopting healthier behaviors that support your physical and emotional strength.

Being hard on ourselves isn't motiva...

Stress erodes our physical health. The presence of stress tattoos our bodies, limits our range of movement, draws away all that flows with dehydration, and colors with the pallor of pain and heartache. The effects of stress are also undercover in  physical ailments.

The worst thing to do, however, is to get stressed about stress.

When you think about feeling stressed, align with your inner power. Use the energy of stress to cultivate inner love. Take the time to care for yourself. When you do, something of profound value emerges: trust in yourself.

If we have allowed stress to run rampant in our lives, we will need to build trust in ourselves again. One of the ways we do that is by taking care of our bodies.

When under stress, taking care of ourselves is often the very last thing we consider.

Have you said:

"I don't have time to exercise." 

"Forget the bath, I will just take a quick shower."

"I can't lose my edge right now."

When you tell yourself that you don't have...

Self Compassion Guide

What Does It Mean to Be Self Compassionate?

Through our thoughts and our behavior we treat ourselves with the same care and kindness as we would someone we love and care for. 

Self Compassion involves listening to our needs, rather than primarily focusing on what others want us to do or what the outside world dictates.

Goal for this Self-Compassion Exercise

Become aware of how you show yourself compassion and use this as a starting point for introducing more self-compassion. 

The Physical Component

Allowing your muscles to soften, release the tension from your body.

How do you care for your body?

What are some ways in which you could release tension and stress in the physical sense, or what are some techniques that already work?

The Mental Component

Not trying to regulate your thoughts, allowing them to come and go.

How do you care for yourself mentally?

How could you allow thoughts to come and go with greater ease: less regulation, less fighti...