Compassion for others must begin with self-compassion. As we work this month to boost our resilience by cultivating compassion, we must start with ourselves. As Elena Aguilar shares in Chapter 8 of Onward: Compassion is how you respond in the face of someone’s suffering. You cannot proclaim love and care for others without extending that to yourself. If you don’t feel that you deserve to be free from suffering, how can you believe that your compassion for others is true? Is their suffering justified at times? If you aspire to hold compassion for all, you must include yourself among the “all.”
Kristin Neff is one of the world’s leading experts in self-compassion. Explore her website as it is full of resources and watch her TED Talk The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion.
What will you do to extend a little self-compassion this month?