Small ways to practice self-compassion

When it comes down to forgiving others, many of us are pretty good about it. Whether we comfort a child after breaking a glass, or reassure your coworker their mistake is fine, we are often very good at showing compassion to others.

One person however, most of us are genuinely not good at showing compassion to is ourselves. We are often extremely self critical of our smallest flaws, and hold up an ideal of utter perfection as the only exceptable standard we are allowed to achieve. If this is you, here are a few ways you can show yourself more compassion.

Treat Yourself Like You'd Treat A Friend

You would never tell your friend they're a disgusting fat blob, they're lazy, they're ugly, or any number of things you might think to yourself. You wouldn't even tell a stranger these things. You owe it to yourself to treat yourself with at least the same kindness you treat your friends.

Adopt a Growth Mindset

If you chalk every success you see in others to natural talent or some other statistic you can't yourself achieve, you won't reach the heights you are truly capable of. A growth mindset opens yourself to the possibility that you really can achieve anything you want in life.

A growth mindset is truly one of the most compassionate things you can do for yourself, because it helps you to avoid limiting yourself.

Remember it's not a race

It's very easy (and dangerous) to compare yourself to others. Remember that the only one you should be comparing yourself to is your old self. If others are achieving things faster than you, that's their path not yours. By focusing only on bettering yourself, you can take the pressure off of your success.

Self compassion is critical to getting the most out of life. By caring a little about yourself and valuing yourself, you can change the quality of your life, and also how much success you have.