What is self-compassion?
Self-compassion is when youβre kind to yourself when youβre feeling down, inadequate, or suffering in any way. Too often, we give kindness, empathy, and understanding to others, but we neglect ourselves. Self-compassion is crucial to good mental health. Kristin Neff states that self-compassion has three main ingredients, and they are: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.
Self-kindness: When you practice self-kindness, youβre compassionate toward yourself when youβre suffering. When you notice your flaws, youβre caring rather than critical.
Common humanity: You recognize that failing is a part of the human experience, and suffering happens when you fail. Everyone experiences failure because, so youβre not alone.
Mindfulness: Self-compassion means that you recognize negative thoughts or self-talk, but you arenβt judgmental about them. You use mindfulness to observe them. Let yourself feel your feelings without being harsh on yourself.
Self-compassion takes practice. But you can do it! You may not be used to taking time to listen to how you feel. Some of us live with chronic anxiety. When youβre anxious, that can make it hard to accomplish day-to-day tasks. Take a moment during the day, and let yourself know that anxiety is painful, and youβre hurting. But youβre also trying hard to get things done. Self-compassion doesnβt mean feeling sorry for yourself. Itβs about acknowledging your feelings and moving through them. It might help to develop simple mantras for self-compassion. One could be: βIβm doing the best I can,β or βI love and accept myself for my strengths and flaws.β Choose a mantra that speaks to you.
Self-compassion and mental health
When youβre kind to yourself, it makes you feel better. Self-compassion is especially important to practice when youβre suffering from mental health issues. For example, when youβre depressed and having trouble doing things, it can help to be compassionate with yourself. Itβs not easy to get out of bed when youβre depressed. Tell yourself that you know how hard youβre trying and that youβre doing the best you can. Be gentle with yourself when youβre feeling down. Make sure that you take steps toward getting help as well. A therapist is a great person to connect with when youβre having mental health struggles.
Why does self-compassion matter?
Self-compassion is an excellent mental health tool. Itβs beneficial in many different ways. When you forgive yourself, itβs a powerful experience. Using self-compassion is a holistic health experience. It has many additional benefits, including good mental health as well as physical wellbeing. When youβre kind to yourself, youβre going to better your relationships with others. Youβll understand who you are and your emotional needs to better empathize with others. When you take the time to practice self-compassion, you will probably notice that youβre less anxious. Itβs likely because youβre taking the time to look inward and care about you. Life can be extremely challenging and sometimes brutal. Itβs okay to be gentle with yourself when things are tough. You can take a moment to look in the mirror and say to yourself, βI know things are hard, and Iβm sorry youβre suffering.β Talk to yourself as you would a good friend. It will better your mental health.
Learning self-compassion in therapy
Some people naturally practice self-compassion, while for others, it doesnβt come intuitively. Thatβs okay if youβre unsure of how to nurture yourself. You can talk about learning self-compassion in therapy. Online therapy is an excellent place to learn about your feelings and why itβs crucial to practice self-compassion. There are many places where you can get insight into self-compassion and mental health. A great resource where you can learn about mental wellness is Mind Diagnostics. Maybe people in your past told you that your feelings arenβt significant. Thatβs not true, and thatβs where self-compassion can help. You deserve to feel your feelings. Any emotions you feel are valid. An online therapist is dedicated to helping you better your mental health, and that begins with self-compassion.