Compassion for the Self

"Research shows that anyone can develop self-compassion.

All that is required is a willingness to practice."

Tim Desmond

Sometimes it takes years to quiet the voice of criticism buried deeply within our lovely selves.  We must first become aware of the voice itself, then discover the origin, and finally heal it.  We so freely distribute compassion to others, but tend to ration it within.

When we are in the presence of others or reading or viewing, we come across segments that annoy us.  It is a healthy practice to pause and label the exact disturbance.  Give the erupting feeling a name and put it in context of our own life.  Whatever it is, we have part ownership  as the other person is simply mirroring aspects we have yet resolved.

We can be in situations where we are perhaps insulted or judged, but when we interject a pause, we soon realize we have taken words too close to home.  The odds are the speaker had never even brought us into their equation.  We are reacting to unresolved personal issues.  To practice our listening skills,  we learn more about self-compassion and needed additional healing.