Self Compassion is Critical For Your Mental Health
What Is Self Compassion?
The ability to treat yourself kindly, despite feeling stressed or like a failure, THAT is self compassion. You know that phrase, “we are our own worst critic”? I see this play out for people time and time again.
Benefits of Self Compassion
Research indicates there are many benefits to showing yourself some compassion. A study amongst older adults revealed that those who were more compassionate to themselves, had better mental health, improved sleep and improved life satisfaction. This interesting study showed that people who struggle with their weight, may actually improve their mental health AND weight goals with a little compassion.
How You Can Do It?
In an interview with psychologist, Dr. Taylor Crouch, “A more formal practice of self-compassion might be taking some time out of the day to practice types of meditation focused on cultivating loving-kindness, also called metta meditation, as well as other exercises to build daily mindfulness practices. We can practice paying attention to the inner critic in our thoughts and replacing that harsh inner voice with kinder, more compassionate words”. If mediation sounds scary, there are many apps for your smart phone that can assist you, such as headspace.
In Conclusion
I often advise my clients who are feeling self critical, to pretend like they are giving a close friend advice about their particular situation. Often times people find it so much easier to be nicer to someone else, rather than themselves.
If you feel like you are struggling in this area, consider speaking with a trusted psychiatrist. Please contact me: click here.
