Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is the ability to extend patience, forgiveness, acceptance and care inward to yourself. It is a way for people to care for themselves when faced with challenges or failure. People who are self-compassionate often experience greater happiness, are more optimistic and have increased motivation.

When practicing self-compassion, you mindfully accept difficult or challenging moments and treat yourself with kindness and understanding of shared human experiences. This allows you time to heal, understand and care for yourself. Self-compassion involves embracing mindfulness as well as engaging with your thoughts and feelings.

Self-compassion is commonly a radical change in your thinking patterns. Learning to be self-compassionate takes times and can be challenging. Through the process of learning self-compassion, you need to remember to be patient with yourself and embrace change.

You can start with these three practices:

• Talk to yourself in the same way you would talk to a friend.
• Practice self-awareness to recognize your feelings and responses.
• Incorporate mindfulness, reflection and meditation into your life.