Boost Your Wellbeing with These 7 Science-Based Self-Compassion Exercises

How often do we extend kindness and understanding to others, but struggle to offer ourselves the same grace? It’s time we think about how to change that by practicing self-compassion.

What’s self-compassion? Self-compassion is thought of as giving yourself the same compassion you’d give others. That means that self-compassion involves comforting and taking care of yourself. It’s the practice of treating yourself with the same warmth and care you would give to others not matter their situation.

Why practice self-compassion? Well, it turned out that treating ourselves with care and compassion, positively impact our well-being. Research shows that fostering self-compassion can reduce stress, boost resilience, and improve overall well-being. Joy Johnson, LCSW, author of The Self-Compassion Workbook, says that self-compassion includes skills like mindful awareness, self-acceptance, living your values, and loving-kindness. When we have self-compassion, we can identify when we fail to meet our standards or live our values, but we don’t judge ourselves so much. That’s why self-compassion may help us increase our happiness and well-being. Here are some exercises to help you increase self-compassion.

In this blog post, we will explore how to develop self-compassion using science-based exercises easy to include in your daily life. Whether you tend to be self-critical or just want to strengthen your emotional resilience, these practices will guide you toward greater self-kindness and inner peace.

Develop self-compassion by including these activities in your routine:

• Write a Self-Compassion Letter
• Let Go of Negativity
• Stand up to Your Inner Critic
• Nix the “Shoulds”
• Practice Loving-Kindness
• Take a Self-Compassion Break
• Forgive Yourself

Write a Self-Compassion Letter

Research has shown that writing self-compassionate letters to ourselves can decrease depression and increase happiness.

Writing down your thoughts and feelings without judgment can help you connect deeply with your inner self. As you put pen to paper, you might uncover underlying emotions or beliefs that you weren’t even aware of. This process of thinking about yourself can help you feel more kind to yourself. It can help you see your problems and successes from a more fair and kind of point of view

So try to write out something kind to yourself, talking to yourself like you’re a child or someone in need of kindness.

Let Go of Negativity

When you’re embroiled in negativity, try to imagine a blue sky with fluffy clouds. Attach each of those negative thoughts to a cloud and see them as they move away. This exercise can help you see that negativity can fade away and potentially be replaced with positivity.

Stand up to Your Inner Critic

When you’re being self judgy, take this opportunity to stand up for yourself against your inner critic. Ask yourself, why are you saying these negative things to yourself? Are you being unfair to yourself? How would you stand up to a bully who said those things to someone you cared about or a small child? See if you can use these types of questions to fight against those self-critical thoughts.

When you catch yourself saying things like “I’m not good enough” or “I should have done better,” take a moment to pause and rewrite the narrative. Instead of berating yourself, try to speak to yourself as you would to a dear friend. Ask yourself, “What would I say to someone I care about in this situation?” This simple shift can help you foster a more supportive and compassionate inner dialogue, which is the foundation of self-compassion.

Nix the “Shoulds”

Our entire lives, people have told us that we “should” do things. This leads us to talk to ourselves the same way. But that’s not helpful and not even true. We are basically just judging ourselves for doing things differently than someone else might. So see if you can stop using the word “should” in your internal monologues.

Practice Loving-Kindness

Loving-kindness meditation, which is usually directed towards others, has been shown to benefit our well-being. But there is no reason we can’t direct this towards ourselves when we are feeling sad. Try to direct some of that love towards yourself. You deserve it.

Engaging in loving-kindness meditation on a daily basis is a powerful way to transform the relationship with yourself. This meditation involves the repetition of phrases of goodwill and compassion, directed first at yourself and then to others. By turning these positive intentions inward, you can gradually cultivate a more loving and compassionate inner voice. Over time, this practice can help you feel more kind to yourself. This will make it easier to deal with life’s problems with more ease and strength.

Take a Self-Compassion Break

Sometimes we just need to take a quick self-compassion break. These are moments of stress, allowing you to extend kindness and understanding to yourself. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a step back, breathe deeply, and remind yourself that everyone faces challenges and makes mistakes. Offer yourself the same compassion you would a friend, with words of motivation. This practice is instrumental in cultivating a more nurturing and supportive inner dialogue, which is the foundation of a compassionate mindset

Maybe we’re self-judging or being harsh or unkind to ourselves. By stopping everything for a little break where we are nice to ourselves, we can hopefully turn things around.

Forgive Yourself

Sometimes we are jerks to ourselves because we feel guilty for doing something bad in the past. But there is nothing we can do to change the past. All we can do is apologize (if necessary) and move on. Although it’s not always easy, forgiving ourselves can help us be happier and move past difficulties.

In Essence

Self-compassion can significantly improve your relationships and emotional well-being. When you treat yourself with kindness, you are more likely to extend that same kindness to others. This positive energy can strengthen your bonds with loved ones and make your interactions more harmonious.. So give these self-compassion exercises a try to see if they help you.

By practicing techniques like writing a self-compassion letter, letting go of negativity, standing up to your inner critic, and so on, you can start shifting your mindset toward greater self-acceptance. These strategies will help you move away from self-judgement. Before you know, self-compassion will become a natural part of your life if you are consistent.

I hope this article helps you become self-compassionate! Now it’s your turn to share. What strategy will you try? Share with us in the comments below 🙂

References

• Shapira, L. B., & Mongrain, M. (2010). The benefits of self-compassion and optimism exercises for individuals vulnerable to depression. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5(5), 377-389.
• Hutcherson, C. A., Seppala, E. M., & Gross, J. J. (2008). Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion, 8(5), 720. Chicago