It’s important to show yourself compassion too
IF you had a friend in distress what would you do? Offer them help? A hug? Some kind words?
Now consider how you treat yourself when you are experiencing distress. Do you approach yourself with the same warmth and kindness as you would your friend?
All too often, we struggle to show ourselves the same compassion that we give to those we care about.
Here is a brief exercise to help reconnect with your compassionate self.
Bring to mind a situation that is causing you difficulty, pain or distress.
Take a minute to really reflect on this situation, what has happened, how it has affected you and any worries you have about how this situation will develop and unfold.
Notice the different thoughts, emotions, urges and physical sensations that reflecting on this brings up for you.
Once you have tapped into this difficult issue in your life, notice where in your body you can feel it the most. Perhaps you have a knot in your stomach, tension in your head or you can feel your heart beating in your chest.
Next, take your hand and place it on the part of your body that hurts the most.
Bring to mind an image of someone who is warm, caring, loving and kind.
Whether real or imaginary, picture a person who genuinely cares and wants to ease your suffering.
Now see if you can bring this same sense of caring into the gentle touch of your own hand. Notice the warmth that passes from your hand to your body and imagine that you are infusing your body with compassion.
Imagine that as the compassion flows into your body, it softens the area around your pain, making space for this pain and soothing it with loving kindness.
As you do this, say to yourself “this is a moment of suffering, may
I be kind to myself in this moment”.
Remember that all humans feel pain; that this is something that connects us.
The pain that you are feeling shows that you care, that you have a heart.
Remember that this is how all humans feel when there is a gap between how things are and how we want them to be.