Welcome kindred spirit, before we begin let's bring awareness to why you were drawn to this topic.
How does your body feel when you reflect on Self Compassion?
What emotions come to the surface?
What beliefs do you have surrounding Self Compassion?
What stories do you tell yourself and others about this?
How will being mindful of Self Compassion help support your day-to-day life?
With a deep exhale bring a gentle awareness that others are feeling similar about Self Compassion like you.
Let’s begin:
This practice is something you can do anytime during the day or night
when you need a little self-compassion.
To practice this exercise, we actually need to call up a little suffering.
I invite you to think about a situation in your life right now that is difficult for you.
Maybe you’re feeling stressed or you are having a relationship problem.
Maybe you are worried about something that might happen.
I invite you to think of something that is difficult but NOT overwhelmingly difficult or traumatic, especially if you’re new to practicing this self-compassion break.
In finding a situation and getting in touch with it …..
What’s going on?
What happened or what might happen?
Who said what?
Really bring the situation to life in your mind’s eye.
Now I’m going to be saying a series of phrases that are designed to help us remember the three components of self-compassion when we need it most.
The first phrase is “ This is a moment of suffering”.
We are bringing mindful awareness to the fact that suffering is present.
I invite you to use your own words
Something like
this is really hard right now
or I’m really struggling.
By using your own words
You are actually turning toward the difficulty, acknowledging it, naming it.
This is a moment of suffering.
The second phrase is “ suffering is a part of life.”
We are reminding ourselves of our common humanity.
Again...using your own words
Something like
It’s not abnormal to feel this way.
Many people are going through similar situations.
The degree of suffering may be different,
the flavor of suffering may be different,
but suffering is a part of life,
part of being human.
The third phrase is “May I be kind to myself in this moment”
To support bringing kindness to yourself, I invite you to place your hands over your heart Or a place on your body that feels soothing and comforting.
Feeling the warmth of your hands, the gentle touch,
let those feelings of self-compassion stream through your hands.
Using your own words, supporting that sense of kindness like you would use with a good friend speak kindness to yourself.
I'm here for you.
It’s going to be okay.
I care about you.
Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry.
Another way is calling yourself by your first name,
anything that feels natural to express your deep wish
that you be well, happy, and free from suffering.
And then letting go………..
noticing how your body feels right now,
allowing any sensations to be just as they are,
allowing yourself to be
Thank you for practicing A Break for Self Compassion