Being a good friend to yourself (Copy)
When a friend comes to you with a struggle, challenge, or overall bad day, I would guess that you typically respond with compassion, attention, and understanding. However, when you are having a moment of suffering, how do you respond to yourself? Do you show yourself kindness, compassion and understanding? Do you respond with judgment and other forms of self-criticism? Do you try to push your feelings aside and ignore how you feel?
Kristin Neff, a self-compassion expert writes, "Instead of just ignoring your pain with a 'stiff upper lip' mentality, you stop to tell yourself, 'this is really difficult right now; how can I comfort and care for myself in this moment?'"
Self-compassion has become one of the most-researched aspects of mindfulness and explores the idea of treating ourselves exactly as we would treat a good friend in tough moments. Using mindful self-compassion means that we recognize and acknowledge our feelings, treat ourselves with kindness, and understand that our struggles are a part of being human—at one point or another, we will all face tough days. How we choose to respond to those difficult moments can help us become stronger and more resilient. These skills do not come easy, especially since we tend to judge ourselves and others. Visit the link below to take a quiz to learn about your own patterns of self-compassion and build this important skill.
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