I started my seven days of writing a compassionate letter to self on Saturday and so far I'm already appreciating how much more aware I am of my internal dialogue and the tone it's taking. It's amazing how much self-judgment can slip through our minds without really even realizing it. It takes conscious effort to pause and think, "Hmm.... is that really how I want to be talking to myself about this?"
With self-compassion I find I have more hope, more humour and more patience for the unexpected things that crop up every day. Without it, I feel slightly panicked, irritable and closed off.
Both Kristen Neff, PhD, and Pooja Lakshmin, MD, have excellent resources on self-compassion and how to start practicing it. I would recommend a browse through self-compassion.org/practice and Chapter 6 in Real Self-Care titled "Real Self-Care Means Treating Yourself with Compassion: Permission to be Good Enough".
In the spirit of prioritizing connection over information, see if you can bring the self-compassion conversation into your day-to-day relationships. Check in with your friends! Is their inner critic loud right now? How can we support each other in practicing self-kindness?
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