What is self-compassion #1

Hey everyone! :wave:t2:

Today I wanna dive a bit into the topic of self-compassion and what’s it all about! I’m sure you’ve heard about being compassionate but what does it mean to be compassionate towards ourselves (and perhaps why)? :thinking:

Self-compassion typically looks into 3 components namely self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.

  1. Self-kindness is showing ourselves warmth and kindness rather than harsh self-criticism or judgment; therefore, notice when you are in pain without detaching from, (or getting caught up in), your feelings. This can sound like: “Oh well, it’s not the end of the world. I meant well even if it didn’t come out in the best way.”

  2. Common humanity is accepting that imperfection, failure, and suffering are an unavoidable parts of the human condition; therefore, realise that experiencing distress is part of being human (as opposed to feeling isolated by these experiences). This can sound like: “I remembered that everyone has a slip of the tongue sometimes. I can’t expect to say the right thing at every moment. It’s only natural that these things happen.”

  3. Mindfulness is mindfully paying attention to one’s suffering in the present moment with clarity and balance; therefore, offer yourself kindness (as opposed to being harshly self-critical or ruminating in unhelpful thoughts). This can sound like: “I just acknowledged how bad I felt in the moment. What was amazing is that I could actually be with the feelings of embarrassment without getting lost in self-judgment. I knew the feelings wouldn’t kill me, and they would eventually pass.”

Lemme know what y’all think about this. Perhaps you can share your own thoughts about self-compassion, and feel free to ask any questions if you have any! And in the next post, I’ll be sharing simple tips to nurture self-compassion! :smiley:

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Hi @BKT, wow thanks for the great post again! I find your suggested statements of how it can sound like, very impactful and helpful! Could you share more examples of how it will sound like so that it will be helpful to remind myself and others on how to self talk and navigate tough mental fights?

Hello @hereforyou, I think it can follow along the lines of acknowledging what you’re currently experiencing/feeling/thinking (e.g., “Oh, I notice that I’m…”) and taking a pause to consider what would be more helpful to do in the moment (e.g., “Instead of putting myself down/catastrophizing, I’d prefer/choose to be kinder to myself/seek help/look for silver lining/…”

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