‘self-compassion’ by kristin neff was a personal read for me.
combining elements from both her own psychological research and her study of mindfulness into a kind of manual for self-reflection, she takes the reader on a journey from self-critic to self-appreciation.
and if that sounds hard, that might be because it is hard.
why is it hard?
well, ask yourself this: are you as kind to yourself as you are to others? i know for sure that i am not.
sometimes, it feels like an ever nagging critic lives in the back of my mind, questioning so much of what i do, making so many decisions, sounding so much like my own voice.
and if you yourself have a similar nagging voice, you know why it’s hard.
what self-compassion is not
self-compassion is NOT self-pity where you gloss over what’s difficult with a layer of positivity and maybe a sugary snack and voilà, you’re done.
self-compassion is looking inward, noticing and then tending to difficult emotions.
in other words: it’s work. real work.
like all mindfulness based activities, it takes courage and strength and patience. which is why, neff is such a good companion for this journey. her writing hits the right note between relatable, enlightening and motivating.
reread for added wisdom
there are books that you put back on the shelves when you’re done reading them never to look at them again. and then there are books that you go back to at regular intervals, because it takes more than one read to get to the bottom of their wisdom.
self-compassion is definitely one of the latter.
