17 Aug Here Are 5 Ways To *Actually* Be Kind To Yourself
via MindBodyGreen by Jason Wachob
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who associates compassion and kindness with negative effects. In fact, kindness is backed by very solid science (dubbed the “Mother Teresa effect“)—it has both mental and physical health benefits. But what about self-compassion? What about being kind to yourself? Yes, we generally associate each with positivity and warmth; putting it into practice, though, that’s a more difficult nut to crack.
It’s something Kristin Neff, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of self-compassion and associate professor in human development at the University of Texas at Austin, has dedicated her entire career to: “The last 10 years I’ve focused on teaching people how to be more self-compassionate,” she shares on this episode of the mindbodygreen podcast. “Because it’s not enough to say this is a good thing. How do we teach people to do it?”
Class is in session: Below, Neff offers a few pointers on how to really be kind to yourself—and what you may be doing wrong:
1. Check in.
“You can’t even begin the process without awareness,” says Neff. Meaning: If you aren’t aware of your thoughts and feelings, how can you even begin to transform them into warmth and kindness?
That said, the very first step is to check in: “How do you speak to yourself?” Neff poses. “Are you supportive? Are you warm? Are you caring? Do you value your own needs? Are you saying ‘yes’ all the time to others to the point where it’s actually draining you?” Consider it a mindfulness technique to assess your needs and where you would like to start. (It may even be helpful to scribble down your thoughts into a journal.)
… keep reading the full & original article HERE