The reality is that life is imperfect, and so are we. Self-compassion teaches us to embrace our unique selves and move past self-judgment and self-criticism so that we can live a more fulfilling and contented life.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free. These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.
Kristin Neff Self Compassion Epub 41
Drawing from a variety of sources including mindfulness, meditation, and acceptance and commitment therapy, the book outlines a wide range of simple strategies and techniques to start practicing self-compassion today.
Self-reflective exercises and well-timed experiential practices guide us through an exploration of the tricky ways that we carry shame, helping us shift from harsh self-judgment to warm understanding; teaching us to bring compassion to difficult emotions, thoughts, and unhelpful behaviors.
Along with proven strategies and practical advice, Silberstein-Tirch shows us how to customize our self-compassion practice by building a personalized plan based on what matters to each individual reader, and the kind of changes they wish to see in their life.
While the first two chapters illustrate the science behind self-compassion and why it is so beneficial in therapy, the rest of the book offers practical clinical applications; evidence-based techniques for building emotional tolerance and regulation, as well as working with self-criticism, self-sabotage, trauma, addiction, relationship problems, and more.
What if, instead of fighting our difficult emotions, we just accepted them? With decades of experience as a therapist and mindfulness meditation practitioner, Dr. Christopher Germer has learned that accepting our emotions and responding to our imperfections with compassion, rather than judgment or self-blame, are essential steps on the path toward healing.
Using mindfulness as a vehicle for the development of self-compassion, Germer writes with intelligence and clarity, offering scientifically grounded strategies for putting self-compassion into action.
The book incorporates numerous scientific studies which demonstrate the power of mindful self-compassion and gives very detailed descriptions of the fundamentals of both Loving-Kindness Meditation and mindful awareness. It is an excellent resource for both beginners and experts alike.
In The Neuroscience of Empathy, Compassion, and Self-Compassion, Stevens and Woodruff provide contemporary and unique perspectives on the related domains of empathy, compassion and self-compassion (ECS) in a brief and easy to comprehend fashion.
Throughout the reference, Stevens and Woodruff encourage further research as well as continued and creative philosophical and scientific inquiry into the critical societal constructs of self-compassion, compassion, and empathy.
Filled with practical advice and strategies for achieving self-compassion and finding greater happiness and inner peace, Terrell teaches the reader how to enjoy alone time, how to handle criticism, and how to get rid of unwanted thoughts.
As a psychologist and longtime practitioner of meditation and mindfulness, author Janetti Marotta applies ancient wisdom to complex, modern-day living in this well-written and heartfelt guide for cultivating self-compassion and acceptance.
This is a great source of reference for finding a fitting meditation for any frame of mind. If you are looking to cultivate self-compassion and you prefer bite-sized exercises to lengthy texts, this small but mighty book might be perfect for you.
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive, is a science-based workbook written by renowned leaders in the field of self-compassion: Dr. Kristin Neff and Dr. Christopher Germer.
The book comes in a large-size format and is packed with guided meditations (with audio downloads), reflection questions, exercises, and informal practices to do anytime, anywhere, to help readers uncover the powerful and transformational inner resource that is self-compassion.
Created as a gentle introduction to the concept, Frederick instructs readers to answer journal prompts as though they are speaking to their dearest friend since being compassionate to others is often more natural and more familiar that being compassionate with oneself.
Dearest Friend is written in a warm and loving tone and teaches readers how to nurture and speak lovingly to themselves, and to treat themselves as they would their dearest friend. The book explains how self-compassion is essential for healing, maintaining wellness, and being able to give to others because as the saying goes, you cannot pour from an empty cup.
This Self-Compassion Skills Workbook is geared toward people who struggle with negativity and stress, teaching them step-by-step how to cultivate peace, emotional stability, joy, and greater health through the practice of self-compassion.
The workbook presents cutting-edge research which shows that self-compassion can be strengthened through practice and that it is one of the strongest predictors of mental health and wellness (Desmond, 2017).
The practical exercises, case studies, and prompts throughout the workbook provide an excellent roadmap for therapists and clients alike, to navigate the development of compassion for the self and others.
Her research indicates that people who are compassionate toward their shortcomings and imperfections experience greater well-being than those who repeatedly judge themselves and that self-compassion offers the same benefits as self-esteem (greater happiness, less depression, etc.) without its downsides.
This quick audiobook encourages self-compassion as a healthier, more realistic alternative than aspiring toward high self-esteem or being better than others. Instead of trying to increase self-esteem, if we focus on generating a greater sense of self-worth from within, we begin to dismantle the belief that our worth is earned or determined by other people.
Self-compassion involves directing the same type of kindness and care toward yourself that you would direct toward a loved one who is suffering. Developing this sense of self-compassion begins by recognizing and accepting your flaws, and treating yourself kindly, even when things go wrong.
About the author Michelle Ribeiro, BCom., Honours, is a life coach, writer, and yoga instructor from Toronto, Canada. A lifelong learner and seeker, Michelle holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, and a Life Coaching Certification from the Centre for Applied Neuroscience. Her coaching practice emphasizes authenticity and self-compassion, applying meditation and other mindfulness techniques to improve wellbeing. How useful was this article to you? Not useful at all Very useful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Submit Share this article:
Citation: Freund VL, Peeters F, Meesters C, Geschwind N, Lemmens LHJM, Bernstein DP and Lobbestael J (2022) Narcissistic traits and compassion: Embracing oneself while devoiding others. Front. Psychol. 13:914270. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.914270
Conceptual diagram linking self-compassion and physical health through perceived stress and health behaviors. Values presented are standardized path coefficients with bootstrap standard errors in parentheses.
Conceptual diagram of alternate model linking self-compassion and physical health through health behaviors and perceived stress. Values presented are standardized path coefficients with bootstrap standard errors in parentheses.
Overall, our findings extend our understanding of self-compassion and physical health in several important ways. First, although previous research has shown that self-compassion is associated with lower levels of perceived stress, this study was the first to test perceived stress as a mediator of the relationship between self-compassion and physical health. Indeed, this pathway accounted for most of the total effect of self-compassion on health. Second, whereas previous research has noted that self-compassion is linked to physical symptoms via the practice of health behaviors (Dunne et al., 2016), this study replicated these findings using a comprehensive index of physical health that included symptoms, functioning, and a global rating of overall health. In addition, negative affective states have been shown to account for why self-compassionate people may be better able to regulate their health behaviors (Sirois, 2015; Sirois et al., 2015a). The current results extend these previous findings by demonstrating that lower stress, arguably a negative affective state, explains the association between self-compassion and health behaviors. Finally, our test of the full path model linking self-compassion to stress, health behaviors, and physical health provides the first test of the combined pathways from previous research on self-compassion and health (Dunne et al., 2016; Sirois, 2015; Sirois et al., 2015a), and indicates that self-compassion may relate to physical health through multiple routes.
Growing evidence indicates that self-compassion is malleable and can be enhanced through training (Jazaieri et al., 2013; Neff and Germer, 2013). For example, Neff and Germer (2013) developed an 8-week program aimed at increasing mindful self-compassion. While this program produced significant increases in self-compassion, there were concomitant decreases in perceived stress. In light of the well-documented health benefits of stress management (Taylor and Sirois, 2014), it is reasonable to think that this type of program would also have a positive impact on health. Our findings also suggest that self-compassion could play a role in interventions directly aimed at improving health behaviors. For example, several studies have now found that promoting self-compassionate responding to health behaviors failures can be effective for reducing health risk behaviors such as overeating (Adams and Leary, 2007), smoking (Kelly et al., 2010), and alcohol misuse (Brooks et al., 2012). It is possible that techniques designed to elevate self-compassion may be equally beneficial for increasing health-promoting behaviors, and subsequent physical health. Future research using experimental and longitudinal methods is needed to provide more rigorous tests of these ideas. 2ff7e9595c
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