Let’s have a little compassion

I don’t believe there is enough compassion in the world, I don’t know where it went but there is a definite shortage.

I feel blessed to be part of the sober community where there is compassion and empathy in bucket loads. Until I had counselling almost a decade ago I hadn’t known how powerful compassion and empathy could be.

What makes me really sad is the complete lack of compassion we have for ourselves. Self compassion is becoming a bit of a buzz word like self care, but often it is only surface.

True self compassion is being aware of how we speak to ourselves and being kind when we speak to ourselves.

As humans we make mistakes and things go wrong about as often as they go right. Often an individuals reaction is to chastise ourselves, we will call ourselves derogatory names and sneer at our suffering. There is a self righteous little critic inside our heads is always waiting to jump on the self reproach band wagon

Would you speak to a loved one like that? Would you intentionally increase someones pain and discomfort by calling them names ?

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Self compassion

However if we do the opposite of what that self righteous little critic says, we are practising self compassion.

There is a compassion cloud inside all of us, I know this because we often show compassion to others. Our little compassion cloud can be used to be kind to ourselves.

Self compassion is when we recognise we are supposed to be imperfect and make mistakes, self compassion is accepting our mistakes with sympathy and kindness. Self compassion is acknowledging sometimes, suffering and inadequacy is part of being human and that it really is ok to get it wrong.

The more we practice self compassion the bigger it grows, and the smaller that reactive arse, the self critic gets.

Lets make compassion cool again and lets start with ourselves.

Till next time

Vicki xx

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