On Practicing Compassion Towards Yourself

Self-kindness is a practice that isn’t taught in primary, secondary or higher education. This means that decades pass before we realize the importance of self-compassion.

Self-compassion is a thought process that responds to human behavior in an understanding manner.

Here is an example.

You’re talking to someone, and suddenly you say something that you instantly regret. As the day progresses you can’t stop thinking about what you said, how that person may be perceiving you, and what those heavy words are misrepresenting about you.

Phew.

So much energy immerse from our thoughts.

The practice of self-compassion and mindfulness guides your mind toward, well, being compassionate towards yourself.

The typical conversation in your head is beating yourself up and over apologizing when things don’t go as planned.

The conversation in your head could go something like this: “I am a man/woman. Although I strive towards perfection, that simply isn’t my nature. It’s OK that I said something I didn’t like. I’ll be more mindful of my words next time.”

Close your eyes.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Blink your eyes open into your awareness and let the experience settle in exactly where it belongs, in the past.

This is one example.

However, self-compassion is meant to live in all areas of our lives. It’s also not a pacifier — an excuse — to hurt someone. Self-compassionate individuals take responsibility for their actions, acknowledge and address the behavior then intend to reform it.

Thanks for being here, and for taking the time to read my article.

I’m a researcher, former assistant professor, and self-help writer. My goal is to write articles that help my readers think, connect and grow. If you’d like more content, I host a wellness podcast that you can follow on any Apple product here or Spotify here. The podcast features voiceovers of all of my articles and wellness content.

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