‘Self Compassion: Rediscover It’ by Dr Suzanne Henwood published in Great Health Guide (Jan 2017). Make rediscovering self compassion for yourself a priority this year. Self compassion is crucial for your health & wellbeing. Here’s are ten great tips on how to bring self compassion back into your life.
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GREAT HEALTH: Self-Compassion: Rediscover It
written by Dr Suzanne Henwood
RECONNECT & REDISCOVER SELF-COMPASSION FOR YOUR HEALTH & WELLBEING.
HAVE YOU EVER, EVEN FLEETINGLY THOUGHT THAT:
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Loving myself is selfish?
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I should focus on caring for others?
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It’s not right to give myself time and energy?
IF YOU HAVE – YOU ARE FAR FROM ALONE.
It’s a sad fact that the art of self-compassion appears to have dwindled in recent years and there is a need for us to reconnect and rediscover it for our health, wellbeing, ability to thrive and serve others. Instead of putting so much pressure on ourselves to reach unrealistic expectations – what would life be like if we started loving ourselves into a more desirable future?
Dr Kristen Neff is probably one of the most well-known names in the field of self- compassion research. She says: ‘Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self- compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect?’
There is a wealth of literature available on self- compassion that you can explore. I recommend that you take some time to do so, but for simplicity I have outlined some of the common themes here:
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‘In very simple terms, self-compassion then is about treating yourself the same as you would treat someone you deeply loved and cared for. It is not about changing your focus purely onto yourself – but about achieving a reasonable balance between caring for self and caring for others. Indeed, it could be argued if we don’t start doing this very soon, our capacity to continue to care and serve others will diminish over time, making us powerless to do what we love most – which includes caring for others.’
SELF-COMPASSION:
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Includes an intention to be kind to yourself, making a conscious decision to stop that harsh inner critic which can judge so harshly and unfairly.
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Recognises your own humanity, accepting that you are good enough and you do not need to strive for perfection.
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Is about raising your awareness to your connection to others, accepting that you are not alone and that you do not exist in isolation.
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Is about deliberately using tools (such as mBraining, Meditation or Mindfulness) to come into the present moment, to fully experience yourself in that moment.
