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How to Practice Self-Compassion: 5 Tips to Stop Being Down on Yourself

Inner Light

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” ~Jack Kornfield

I never wanted to see a therapist. I imagined settling onto the storied couch and seeing dollar signs appear in concerned eyes as I listed the family history of mental illness, addiction, and abuse. I feared I’d be labeled before I’d ever been heard.

But after experiencing the emotional shock of witnessing a murder, I knew I needed a space to grieve. So I gathered all of my courage and laid myself bare to a very nice woman who had Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements on her coffee table. I trusted her.

Within moments of meeting me, that very nice woman shattered the world I knew. The characteristics I viewed as strengths—my drive, my nurturing nature, my strength under pressure—were neatly organized into a single neurosis: codependency.

As I leafed through the pages of the book she recommended to me, I saw myself in the narrative of the co-dependent: giving until I had given all that I had; investing myself deeply in the mental health of those around me; constantly trying to make others happy.

But rather than find comfort in the words on the pages, I found myself sinking into despair. All of those years I thought that I had escaped my past unscathed, and here I was, stuck with a label: codependent.

Week after week, I dove deeper into this idea that perhaps I needed to confront my past; perhaps I did need to grieve. I cried. I raged. I stopped eating. I ate too much. My health declined.

My therapist told me I needed to relax. So I woke up early every day, determined to be the most relaxed person I could be: always striving to relax harder, better. And yet I didn’t feel better; I felt worse.

By accepting a label given to me by a near stranger, I had unconsciously shifted my focus from living in the present to fixing something that I perceived to be wrong with my past.  And it had overwhelmed me.

My inner critic gained a strength previously unknown to me. Every day, I thought about how I might make myself better. I cursed at myself for being unable to let go, and then I cursed at myself for cursing at myself.

I was exhausted.

As I slowly came to realize that I could not keep up with that inner critic, something changed. I accepted that I couldn’t be perfect. I accepted that I was human.

Only by finding my edge—that place where I couldn’t take any more—was I able to finally let go. When my inner critic started to rear its head, I learned to stick up for myself as I might defend a friend: “I am only human. I am not perfect, nor do I need to be.”

With that simple acknowledgement—I am not perfect, nor do I need to be—I was finally able to free myself not only from the pain of past experiences, but also from the pain that came from reducing myself to a label.

By learning to practice self-compassion, I became comfortable with the person I am today, free of expectations.

The journey to self-compassion was a difficult one for me, but I believe it to be a journey that I will only need to take once. Today, I have the tools I need to practice self-compassion without having to first battle my inner critic, and these are tools that anyone can use:

1. Acknowledge challenges and let them go.

I always remember, “I am not perfect, nor do I need to be.” When entirely normal emotions come up—frustration, stress, anger, fear—I remind myself that no one expects me to be perfect. I allow myself to feel whatever it is I need to feel and to then let it go.

2. Remember that you are exactly where you need to be.

When we start our journey inward, we may learn things about ourselves that shock us. I try to remember that every challenge has its purpose and I am exactly where I need to be today.

3. Practice self-growth rather than self-improvement.

Improvement implies that there is something to fix. Rather than attempting to “fix” what’s “wrong,” I focus instead on strengthening what’s right. Work toward personal growth rather than some idea of perfection.

4. Speak to yourself as you would speak to a friend.

As I faced challenges in my personal growth, I learned to be kind to myself. If a friend was struggling with an uncomfortable emotion, I would never criticize that friend with language like, “Why can’t you just learn to be happy all of the time?!” So I don’t speak to myself that way either.

5. Give yourself a hug.

Go on. Right now. Just do it. That felt good, didn’t it?

Self-compassion is an inside job. I’ve learned that if I am gentle with myself, the world becomes a gentler place. I invite you to experience it too.

Photo by Joseph Vasquez

About Rachel Grayczyk

Rachel Grayczyk is a yoga teacher, an amateur happiness researcher, a traveler, and a student of life. Her mission is to spread a little brightness everywhere she goes.

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Ciera

Great article Rachel! Self compassion is a journey I am taking at a this very moment. I hope to stop being so hard on myself and letting my inner critic work my nerves. The negative thoughts have to come to an end so I can appreciate the wonderful things about me. Thanks for the extra push 🙂

Mariam

Hello. Thanks for the post. It is something I struggle with as well. When I read about codependency my heart sank and for many months I thought that all the effort I did to improve myself was nothing, I was down on myself for long. But I learned about self-compassion at around the same time when I had the worst bouts of shame and depression. If anything, the codependent is someone who lacks self compassion and doesn’t appreciate the effort they make ever day to become a better person.

Josh

Thanks for the reminders Rachel 🙂

Rich

Excellent post. Very helpful.

Stu Henderson

Great article and advice that I think all of us should take notice. Self compassion will allow us to be more compassion towards others ultimately with love prevailing.

Subramanian

Codependent wow!!! Will read up more about that…

kimuse

great post. I think this is the first thing that everybody should learn on their journey to self growth.

growthguided

Affirmation work is a great way to rewire the thoughts to a place of more self love.

Do you have much success with affirmation work Rachel?

RachelGrayczyk

Thank you so much for reading it! Self-compassion is certainly a difficult skill to hone. It’s nice to have little reminders sometimes. 🙂

RachelGrayczyk

Absolutely! I really like to work affirmations into my yoga practice. I’ve also found reading (and re-reading) this to be really helpful: http://www.adoptionhealing.com/PersonalBillofRights.html

RachelGrayczyk

Thank you so much! I agree! Learning self-compassion has made my journey so much less painful!

RachelGrayczyk

Thanks! Keep trying! At the beginning of my journey, I remember understanding that self-compassion was important and then beating myself up for not being able to practice it! But I just kept trying and it got easier and easier to be as kind to myself as I am to others. Just keep practicing! 🙂

RachelGrayczyk

There’s a book called Codependent No More, by Melodie Beattie. While I had trouble relating to a lot of the writing (there is a lot of anger in those pages), it REALLY helped me to understand what codependency is and it helped me to learn more about self compassion and setting healthy limits for myself. It might be a nice place to start. Tinybuddha has lots of great resources too!

RachelGrayczyk

Agreed! And thank you!

RachelGrayczyk

Thank you!

RachelGrayczyk

Thank you for reading! 🙂

Tracy

The label of co-dependent is one of blame and judgement when really, it is a coping mechanism we learn as a result of difficult, abusing and confusing relationships. In doing our best to survive and manage in these dysfunctional relationships, we learn behaviors that extend on the severe end of codependency. Co-dependency lies on a continuum- there are not some of us with it and some of us without. Thank you for acknowledging the pain of that label as well as the antidote- self compassion. In addition, the framing of growth vs improvement is such a more kind and compassionate way to look at how we progressively reach happiness, self acceptance and inner peace. This article is a nice gift for anyone of the continuum of codependency!

RachelGrayczyk

Wow! Thank you for this! I agree! 🙂

Amit Jaggi

Thank you Thank you Thank you , For all ur great tips

lv2terp

Beautiful post and message!! Thank you for sharing your experience, and the truth of “i am not perfect, nor do i need to be”, love that mantra!! 🙂

Anna Puchalski

This article brought me back to when I first had my realizations and began my journey.Despite hard, it’s a journey that is necessary in order to use acceptance and turn what we have into something positive, since ultimately what we show ourselves is what we can can give to others. And I agree, the big messy part is something we only have to go through once. After three years ago when I first realized this about myself, I feel parts coming back but I also know that now I have the right tools now to live peacefully. Congratulations on your journey, Rachel, and thank you for your piece!

Jenga-Toad

Thanks for your words. They were exactly what I needed to hear. 🙂

Rowena

This piece makes no sense. Most people need to be harder on themselves. The reason people are fat, lazy, don’t accomplish things is because they always have excuses. “I am not perfect” is a get-out-of-jail-free card for any laziness, lack of self-discipline, judgment lapse, etc. People need higher expectations of themselves, not lower ones.

WillowBhax

This piece is directed not to the shirker, but to the majority of us who react, or are likely to react to dropping a piece of buttered toast on the kitchen floor by calling ourselves “stupid”, “dumb”, or “idiot”. When we do this, we are not truly aware that we are allowing our inner critic to beat us up.

D

Cheers bud