READ&THINK…about SELF-COMPASSION

Today I was reading Leo Babauta’s post on self-compassion titled The Miracle of the Self-Compassion Habit 

Like many other concepts in this journey of self-discovery, self-compassion was a beacon for me!

So, when reading the post, I challenged myself to try to define or explain self-compassion…

and though, as Leo Babauta mentions, self-compassion “sounds too fluffy for most people…” like self-love… I think people imagine those practicing this sitting in front of a mirror doing some baby-talk to themselves, looking and sounding, well, ridiculous and yes, fluffy… making self-compassion something unthinkable for the hurried, stressed, serious adult…

Self-compassion is NOT that…

Others might imagine a person practicing self-compassion as someone who is always wading in this self-made tub of self-pity…repeating to themselves how everyone takes advantage of them, that they are at no fault for being surrounded by opportunists taking advantage of their loving and kind hearts…

Self-compassion is NOT that either…

Self- compassion, is, at least to me, cutting yourself some slack…

Right!

Stop giving yourself such a hard time for your omissions, mistakes, FRAILTIES…

Start saying to your unrelentless ego, “Take it easy, I’m only HUMAN!!!”

Bringing home, and by home I mean your SOUL, a bit of the kindness, tolerance, patience that you give the people that surround you, the senior lady who can’t open the plastic bag to put her fruit in at the supermarket, the woman carrying her baby and her purse trying to open the door at the bank, the man behind you at the minimart with a box of diapers… you’d stop and give them preference, right?!

Well, self-compassion requires you to stop and accept that you too have your moments of vulnerability, and that you need to give yourself some preference over the rest of the stuff and people…

Besides, remember the metaphor of the airplane emergency landing… put your oxigen mask on first… You can not give what you don’t have… And still, if you muster up the strength to give to others, then all the more will you be able to give it to yourself, it’s just a matter of considering yourself worthy of this, which is a whole other story… WHICH, BY THE WAY, YOU ARE 🙂

What’s your take on SELF-COMPASSION? Do you practice it? Are you worthy? 🙂

Hope you get a chance to read

The Miracle of the Self-Compassion Habit By Leo Babauta

this image comes from another good read:

Self-Compassion: The Key to Psychological Well-Being

by Kristin Neff, PhD and Cassandra Vieten, PhD

btw, Kristin Neff is one of the world’s leading researchers on Self-Compassion 🙂

xo lovely people!!