“Continually feeding our need for positive self-evaluation is a bit like stuffing ourselves with candy. We get a brief sugar high, then a crash.” – Kristen Neff

Self-esteem movement has created the need for positive self-evaluation. On the contrary, self-compassion offers an alternative to genuinely care for our own well-being. When compassion is turned towards yourself, it is self-compassion. It is about being the best and most empathic friend to yourself. Offering yourself genuine love and a wish that your own difficulties be reduced. It is about being kind to yourself rather than blaming yourself and self-criticizing.

Self-compassion is a heavily researched psychological tool. Self-compassion is useful in dealing with the stress and anxiety from expecting failure. It teaches resilience and motivates you without beating you up. It is a great anti-dote to shame. It helps to reduce the self-ctitical judgmental voice in the head.

The good news is that it can be learnt. It can be a life changing experience if one gets the training to be self-compassionate. To know more about self-compassion, check the websites for the two founders of the field of self-compassion.

Dr. Kristen Neff’s www.selfcompassion.org

And Dr. Christopher Germer’s https://chrisgermer.com

To register for self compassion training, check our “programs” session.