Self-Compassion can be hard.  Often when I ask clients how they show self-compassion. I get questions and confusion in return. What is self-compassion? What actions would I need to take? Where do I start? For many, the idea of showing yourself a little grace is foreign. Humans are social creatures, and we often fall victim to social comparison. We measure our accomplishments and success based on others’ benchmarking systems. As a result, we are often very hard on ourselves if and when we are not meeting what society deems to be the next benchmark.

Self -Compassion versus Criticism

The human experience has all kinds of twists and turns. Almost every day, it’s likely that we will run into some unfamiliar situation or circumstance. We are all just doing our best to trudge through each of these challenges with the information we have at our disposal at that moment. Unfor tunately, because we often tend to hear a lot of criticism, that is the lens we use to view our circumstances. I mean, think about it, the news is riddled with bad, and you have to go and look for the good. Whether it be constructive or not, our society leads to us passing judgment on our actions. Granted a necessary skill for growth, it can damage our mental and overall well-being if we overuse this critiquing.

Show Self-Compassion by Using Positive Self-talk

I ask clients to think about whether or not they would speak to their friends the way they talk to themselves. We, as well as others, are quick to point out what is going wrong. In reality, sometimes we need to be okay with ourselves for having tried to put in some effort. Consider the idea of showing yourself and others kindness in small moments with consideration for the human experience – we are all dealing with something! Miriam-Webster defines compassion as “sympathetic consciousness of other’s distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” Being compassionate is saying to yourself, “Wow! That was really human of me. I’m not thrilled about it, BUT THAT IS OKAY!” Thinking of what you would want someone else to do to comfort you at that moment? Ask yourself, “what does support look like for me right now?” And tending to yourself or garnering the resources that will help you in that way.

Counseling Can Help with Learning How to Practice Self-Compassion.

Sometimes that looks like giving yourself permission to ask for help when you feel you need a little more guidance. This practice can be difficult and often frustrating as it goes against our natural inclination to pass judgment and critique. Unlearning that behavior can take time, and learning those skills can be done in the comfort of a counseling session!

Begin Counseling for Enhancing Self-Compassion in Austin, TX!

Looking to learn more about how better understand others’ perspectives? Safe Space Healing Collective can help! We provide mental health counseling, as well as other mental health services. To begin counseling in Austin, TX follow these three steps:

• Contact our office to set up an appointment or to learn more information.
• Meet with one of our knowledgeable therapists.
• Start feeling more seen, heard, and understood!

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Here at Safe Space Healing Collective, we offer counseling services for people of all ages in areas including Complex PTSD, PTSD, Attachment Trauma, Somatic Trauma Work, LGBTQIA+ mental health, Identity Exploration, Dissociation, Women’s Issues, Adolescent Issues, Anxiety, Depression, Troubled Childhood, Exploring Sexuality & Gender Expression, Blended Families, Healthy Communication & Conflict Resolution, Relationship Issues, Personal Growth, Life Transitions, Grief & Loss, Family Estrangement, Death & Dying, Career Transitions, Problems at Work & School, Interrupted sleep/Insomnia. Our therapists strive to post blogs regularly. We provide helpful information on a variety of mental health topics. To learn more about our therapists and our counseling services, please reach out to the Healing Collective today!