Daily Gratitude - Self-Compassion

Let's take a moment to appreciate the things that have been happening in your life recently. Today's theme is appreciating the power of self-compassion. As always, if you would like to journal along, you can pause after each prompt to give yourself more time to write and reflect. First, let's take a deep breath in. And out.

We are often much harder on ourselves than on anyone else in our lives. When it comes to responding to everything from tiny mistakes to major life struggles, it's often the voice of our inner critic that rings the loudest inside our heads. One of the biggest ways that mindfulness can heal is through the steady practice of just learning to be a bit kinder to ourselves from day to day. Think of an area of your life where you have been trying to be more intentional about practicing self-compassion. It could be with how you respond to mistakes, how you speak to yourself, or how you treat your body.

When you imagine yourself as a small child, how does it feel to treat yourself with a tenderness you might show a much younger version of you? What happens in your body when you move from self-criticism to self-acceptance? Where do you feel that kindness? If you've been practicing self-compassion for a while, what has changed in your life? If you're new to mindful self-compassion, what's an area of your life that could use a little more kindness? Now with this in mind, repeat the following phrases: Thank you for all the moments I remember to treat myself with more care and tenderness. Thank you for the healing that happens when I befriend myself. Thank you for the ways that self-compassion ripples out to others. Thank you for the power of self-compassion to create a kinder world. To end this session.

Let's take a deep breath in. And out. We'll see you back here tomorrow for another gratitude practice.