The three components of self-compassion
When things go wrong, how do we treat ourselves? What comes to your mind?
āPerhaps some self-criticism, being hard on ourselves?
āFeeling isolated or avoiding others for fear of shame?
āIgnoring our own painful feelings and distracting ourselves with entertainment, food, drink?
If, in recalling and reading this, we find weāre feeling a bit down about ourselves, we could place a hand on our heart or give our arm a reassuring rub. We could tell ourselves itās okay, weāre all hard on ourselves at times. And we could perhaps encourage ourselves with some self-talk like, āMay I be kind to myself in this moment.ā Taking a moment to really feel that warmth and reassurance.
Here, we just practised all three components of self-compassion.