Why You Should Practice Self-Compassion

I hope that you breathe out and relax a little when I tell you that all of us can - and should - be kinder to ourselves. All of us will experience negative emotions in our lives - doubt, fear, uncertainty, anger, grief, sorrow, to name a few - and the better we learn how to deal with these the quicker we can move back to joy. In the words of Tara Brach, who wrote this inspired article, “I have to love myself into healing.”

So what is the first step towards healing in the mist of difficult emotions? It is simply to acknowledge that you are allowed to feel the way that you do. Denying how you feel about a situation will not fix the issue or your heart; in fact, it will delay the healing even more. According to Ms. Brach, “Even self-judgment is well-intended because it tries to improve us in ways that will make us more lovable and worthy.”

Instead of jumping to this self-judgement, practice compassion towards how you feel. Acknowledge that in this moment, you are not alright, but this moment does not have to last forever. You can even tell yourself out loud to be kind as you process the negativity and embrace the emotions you are experiencing.

Do not rush the healing process…simply let yourself be the fullness of who you are, and trust that the healing will happen as a result. After all, we should never treat ourselves less kindly than we would another human being, because all of us matter deeply in this world.

Mindfully Yours,
Dr. Pamm