If you are feeling frazzled – and who isn’t in our fast-paced world – self-compassion can be an effective strategy for not just getting through, but thriving during these challenging times.
Harvard psychologist Christopher Germer, in his book The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, suggests ways to bring self-compassion into your life. Here are a few:
- Comfort your body. Eat something healthy. Lie down and rest. Massage your own neck, feet, or hands. Take a walk. Anything you can do to improve how you feel physically gives you a dose of self-compassion.
- Write a letter to yourself. Describe a situation that caused you to feel pain (a breakup, a job loss, a loved one’s illness). Write a letter to yourself describing the situation without blaming anyone. Acknowledge your feelings.
- Give yourself encouragement. If something bad or painful happens to you, think of what you would say to a good friend if the same thing happened to him or her. Direct these compassionate responses toward yourself.
- Practice mindfulness. This is the nonjudgmental observation of your own thoughts, feelings, and actions, without trying to suppress or deny them. When you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see, accept the bad with the good with a compassionate attitude.