I read Self-Compassion by Kristen Neff about four years ago and it remains one of the most life-changing books I have ever read. Self-compassion is a gentle, open way of viewing ourselves that allows us to be imperfect and be in process. It has three parts: self-kindness, mindfulness, and common humanity. When we treat ourselves with compassion, we talk to ourselves as we would a friend, we stay with ourselves in the moment without catastrophizing or generalizing, and we recognize that all humans suffer and have difficult moments. I took this self-compassion quiz three times over the years, and I saw changes in my scores just from reminding myself of these ideas on a regular basis. Self-compassion allows us to grow and develop because we feel supported in our humanness and allowed to make mistakes as we learn.
One sentence stem to try in your journal:
I am human; therefore…
Try writing that sentence stem and completing the sentence over and over until you’ve run out of ideas. See what comes up for you! Allow the responses to flow. I hope this is helpful!
