What is Self-Compassion?

Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends and family?

In the past, the answer for me was no, so when I came across this term ‘self-compassion’ I didn’t really know what it meant or even how to be compassionate towards myself. I think some of my lack of self-compassion came from many years of conditioning as a professional tennis player, where pushing yourself to the limits and trying to be the best was required to survive. However, there are also other layers – including those little voices inside my head telling me “who I should be” instead of just accepting “who I am” in this moment.

So, What is Self-Compassion?

Christopher Germer in his book The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions refers to self-compassion as “… simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.” You can read more in his book below.

In Dr Kristin Neff’s book – Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind, she talks about “Self-compassion entails three core components. First, it requires self-kindness, that we be gentle and understanding with ourselves rather than harshly critical and judgmental. Second, it requires recognition of our common humanity, feeling connected with others in the experience of life rather than feeling isolated and alienated by our suffering. Third, it requires mindfulness – that we hold our experience in balanced awareness, rather than ignoring our pain or exaggerating it. We must achieve and combine these three essential elements in order to be truly self-compassionate.” 

You can also listen to Dr Kristen Neff speak about self-compassion below –

Over to You…

If you are ready to reclaim your courage and take the next step towards freedom and opening your heart, why not join our Toolkit or click here to find out more about the 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion course.

References –

Germer, C. (2009). The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions. New York: Guilford Press.

Neff, K. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. New York, USA: HarperCollins Publishers.