How to Practice Self-Compassion

In my previous post, you learned about self-compassion now let’s learn about how to practice self-compassion. In case you don’t remember or didn’t read it, that’s ok! Let me remind you. There are three parts of self-compassion; self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Now it’s one thing to know what it is, but another to practice self-compassion. So let’s dive into some practical tips. 

Write Yourself a Letter

Firstly, a great way to practice self-compassion is to write yourself a letter. Journaling is a beneficial way to express your emotions. 

• Imagine a friend of yours that sees all of your strengths and weaknesses and is compassionate towards you
• Write a letter to yourself from their perspective
• What would they say to you right now? How would they comfort you? 
• If this is different, try imagining what you would say to a friend if they were in your shoes.

Come back to this letter whenever you need a reminder that you can look to yourself for strength. 

Fill in the Blanks 

When you are stuck in a negative, self-critical cycle, it can seem impossible to think or feel anything positive. Try filling in the blanks to the following statements out loud or through journaling: writing them in a journal. 

• It’s hard to feel _______ right now.
• Feeling ________ is part of the human experience. 
• What can I do to make myself happier at this moment? _________

Hug Yourself! 

Your body actually does not know whether you are giving yourself a hug or someone else, but it loves it either way…I’m serious!

• Offer yourself immediate comfort through self-hugging
• Trigger a sense of security and soothing
• Body responds positively to physical touch

Try it… give yourself a big hug!

Take a Break 

A simple way to be more self-compassionate is to grant yourself permission to take a break so you can recharge your batteries. What is recharging for you? 

• Recharge with various activities you enjoy
• Suggestions include: massage, movie, dinner, exercise, dance like know one is watching
• Crucial for preventing compassion fatigue for caregivers 

Mindfulness Exercise

When we improve mindfulness skills, we are able to be more self-compassionate. 

• Select a daily activity to focus on
• Examples: brushing teeth, driving, eating
• Practice present moment awareness of how you are feeling and what you need
• Try mindfulness apps 

Before moving on with your day and clicking to the next webpage, I encourage you to take a moment and pick one of these to try. Self-compassion doesn’t have to be time consuming. It can be difficult at first, but the benefits are worth it. 

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