Self Compassion - a game changer

I’m in the middle of a ten-week Mindful Self Compassion (MSC) course right now so that topic is top of mind for me. It’s so nourishing to sit in a student role, particularly as I get ready to start teaching a new cohort of students next week. This course has been proven to be one of the more emotionally rewarding times in my life. In mindfulness, we practice acceptance. Acceptance of what is, without judgement. Yet, full acceptance of how I FEEL is often a challenge for me. My mind can still trick me into saying, ”If I were [insert word: stronger, better, more mindful] I wouldn’t feel this way.”

A gift I’ve been given in this course is a new way of turning to difficult emotions - a practice called “a self-compassion break.” It’s a practice where we notice the feeling (i.e., practice mindfulness), acknowledge there is suffering tied to it, recognize this state is a condition of shared humanity (others feel this way), and then gently ask ourselves “what do I need right now?”

Wow. That has been a game-changer for me. I have never been that tender to myself. It’s remarkable how if I turn toward the pain (instead of fighting it or ignoring it), the pain lessens….because it has space and kindness to dissipate.

In mindfulness, we turn to our experience with kindness. In mindful self-compassion, we turn to ourselves with kindness. Two sides of the same coin and really rich to experience both.

I’ll be bringing some aspects of MSC to my Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation courses. Another chance to share with others what I’ve been so blessed to have given to me.