I may be my own worst enemy and toughest critic. I always have high expectation of myself and when I fail, I judge myself mercilessly…
If you can relate to that feeling then you are not alone. I can and I find it easier to forgive others and accept their faults and failures rather than my own.
Hey, hold on that can’t be right. Why would I even do that?
I know that I should love others as well as I love myself.
But how can I if I haven’t learnt to love and accept myself?
What is self-compassion?
With self-compassion, we give ourselves the same kindness and care we’d give to a good friend – Dr Kristin Neff
Dr. Neff has done pioneering research into self-compassion and speaks about it from her own experience as a mother of an autistic child. She does a fantastic job explaining what it is and how it differs from self-esteem in this TEDx talk.
I confess this was an eye opener for me. Sure I knew this was right but to have research back it up as well. I was blown away.
Self-criticism vs self-compassion
I need to stop judging myself so harshly and start practicing self-compassion. This is a prerequisite to being able to love others.
I have to love and accept myself first before I can reach out and love others.
I owe it to myself to love myself.
Exodus 