Hey everyone!
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)?
Self-compassion typically looks into 3 components namely self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.
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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.”
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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.”
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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!