How to cultivate self-compassion
Think about how you treat yourself when you make a mistake or don’t achieve a goal. If you’re like most people, then you probably tend to beat yourself up when things go wrong. But these behaviors only perpetuate unhappiness and dissatisfaction. On the other hand, showing yourself kindness and compassion has many benefits — it can set the stage for better health, relationships, and overall well-being. Need help learning how to be kinder to yourself? Celebrity psychologist, motivational speaker, life coach, and President of the NAACP (branch #1069) Dr. Cheyenne Bryant is here to help with these expert tips:
1. Build a relationship with yourself
Having a solid relationship with yourself is crucial when it comes to cultivating more self-compassion. Get to know yourself. How many of your decisions do you get to make for yourself? Often, we make decisions to please others. Start making small decisions that are only for you. Your relationship with yourself should be a model relationship to base other relationships on — it should exude empathy, compassion, trust, and understanding. This also means you might need to increase your positive self-talk and silence your inner critic.
2. Engage in self-care
Self-care is so vital, especially when it comes to your wellness. You should implement self-care as a lifestyle — this helps to prevent burnout. Self-care is a form of self-compassion because it requires you to attend to your own needs. Be sure to engage in self-care activities every day for at least an hour. This could be anything that makes you feel good and helps you connect on a deeper level with yourself, such as yoga, reading, writing, and meditating. You will find that you’re able to run at your total capacity.
3. Let yourself be human
Let yourself make mistakes — everyone does! Life isn’t about right or wrong; it’s about experiences. Life is also about using those experiences to learn, grow, and become better every time. The goal isn’t to be perfect but to strive to have the best experiences you can have. Next time you are beating yourself up about a mistake, take a step back and think about what you’d say to a friend. You’d probably be a lot more compassionate to a friend than yourself.
Fill yourself up with kindness and compassion
Remember that you should prioritize being kinder to yourself. Why? Because it’ll not only significantly improve your mental health but also your relationships with others.
For more information on allyship, visit Dr. Bryant’s Instagram
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