“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.” — Christopher Germer
When we’ve had painful past experiences, hardship and trauma it can be hard to see ourselves through the lens of self-compassion. Often if we’ve experienced abuse from others we internalize negative messaging that in turn affects our beliefs and feelings about ourselves.
We may have very negative feelings about ourselves. Sometimes the first step is recognizing that the awful things that have happened to us aren’t our fault. Knowing we’ve been hurt, starting to see ourselves as a friend who deserves kindness and empathy for what we’ve been through.
Although this quote uses the word “ simply “ I don’t confuse the word simply with easy. It’s a simple concept, yet the practice takes time.
How can you show yourself compassion today? Even a small amount is a great start.
