Exploring self-compassion

How do you react when you mess up? In the past, even simple mistakes would have consumed my thoughts for a whole day or more. I would have berated myself repeatedly, saying things like, “I can’t believe you did that!” “What will people think?” “You’re so careless!” Or worse... something along the lines of... "You're such an idiot!"

We’re all human and as much as some of us would like to be, we’re not perfect. We’re going to make mistakes. We’re going to do or say things we’ll regret later. We’ll get too busy and forget things. We’ll react too strongly to things other people say or do. We'll lash out at someone we love.

As much as we strive to be 'perfect' and 'in control' at all times, neither is an achievable goal. We expect so much of ourselves. And when we fall short of these unrealistic expectations, we turn on ourselves, hurling self-criticism and self-judgment.

What about you?

For what reasons do you typically judge and criticize yourself?
Your appearance?
Your career choices?
Your relationship or parenting choices?
Your flaws, mistakes and failures?

What if we let go of the unrealistic expectations of perfection we place on ourselves and accept our shortcomings, mistakes, and failures? What if we extended ourselves grace and compassion instead?

Easier said than done, sometimes, isn't it?

Many of us excel at extending kindness and compassion to other people, but we don’t offer that same gift to ourselves. But what if we did? What might that feel like?

If you could benefit from techniques to help you make these kinds of shifts, let’s get a discovery session on the calendar to see how I can help.

---