What is self-compassion, and why do we need it?
Do you sometimes find it difficult to be kind to yourself? In this blog, I will explore self-compassion, its components, and some of its most common myths. We'll also share some strategies for developing and practicing self-compassion, so you can feel better about yourself and your progress in life.
Thanks for reading my blog and watching my video! I hope this video has helped you understand self-compassion a little better and that you'll be able to use it to cope successfully with the challenges life throws your way.
What is Self-compassion?
Self-compassion means being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we fail, feel inadequate, or suffer rather than ignoring our pain or flagellating.
“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.”
Having self-compassion for oneself is no different than having compassion for others. So to start, you can think about what the experience of self-compassion feels like. First, in order to have compassion for others, you must notice suffering. If you ignore a homeless person on the street, you can not feel compassionate for how difficult their experience is, was, or could be. Second, compassion involves one feeling moved by others’ suffering, so your heart responds to their pain (the word compassion means to “suffer with”). When this occurs, you feel warmness, caring, and the urge to support the suffering person somehow. Compassion also implies showing understanding and/or kindness to others when they fail rather than judging them harshly. Finally, when you feel compassion for others (rather than mere pity), you realize that suffering, failure, and imperfection are part of the shared human experience.
A video to explain it all
In this video, we're exploring what self-compassion is and why we need it. We'll talk about how self-compassion can help us feel better emotionally and discuss some ways we can practice self-compassion in our everyday lives.
Self-compassion is an important and under-recognized skill, and this video is aimed at helping you learn more about it and put it to use in your life. By the end of this video, you'll better understand what self-compassion is and why it's so important.
Self-Compassion Break
A sense of self-love is central to self-compassion. It recognizes that all humans are flawed "works-in-progress" and that everyone makes mistakes, fails, and experiences hardship in life. Thus, self-compassion honors the unavoidable truth that life assumes suffering, for everyone, without exception. While this may seem obvious, it’s so effortless to forget. We sometimes fall into the trap of believing things are just “supposed” to go well and that something has gone wrong when they don’t. Of course, it’s highly likely that we’ll make mistakes and experience hardships regularly. This is entirely normal and natural.
