"The Importance of Self Compassion"
Compassion
We all know this word, yet unfortunately not many of us have been using this amazing tool for ourselves. Why aren’t we as compassionate to ourselves when we can be compassionate to others around us? It’s all PRACTICE! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!
Compassion is accepting and respecting yourself. Through understanding your situation and seeing your situation in an objective perspective, you can be freed from shame and guilt for the things that you suffer from. “I’m hopeless, What’s wrong with me? I’m a bad person, I deserved what happened to me” are all harsh views that contain NO truth nor any evidence for truth!
The “How-To”
Here are some examples that will help you understand how to do it:
Suicidal thinking
Harsh view: “I’m hopeless. What’s wrong with me? I should just get over it already.”
Compassionate view: “It’s my way to feel more in control, by choosing life or death. In therapy I can learn other ways to feel control, but suicidal thoughts make sense after what I’ve lived through.”
Relationship problems
Harsh view: “I’m unlovable. I deserved what happened to me. I’m a bad person.”
Compassionate view: “I learned not to trust people, and that helped me survive. I can keep working on relationship issues, but I need to be respectful of myself and why I have these problems.”
Now its your turn! Take out a piece of paper and try coming up with your own “harsh view versus compassionate view” of your challenges. Try and see if you can challenge your self-demeaning thoughts this way when they come up!
My Self-Compassionate Statement
I know that I have a hard time interpreting people straight without being hypervigilant, but that is NOT my fault, it is the RESULT of the abuse I went through, and I will RESPECT myself regarding this challenge. I will not blame myself or put myself down for it.
Why Practice Self Compassion?
Compassion will lead us through the challenges we face! YOU MUST be compassionate towards yourself because YOU are the most important caretaker of yourself!
You heard it!
photograph by: Connor Gabriel (http://connorgsg3.wix.com/benevolent#!gallery/ck0q)
