Practicing Compassion Towards Ourselves

In a society where we have such easy access to everyone else’s lives, it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison. This constant comparison to others can lead to a lot of feelings of dissatisfaction and discontentment within ourselves and our lives. 

When this happens, we have a tendency to criticize ourselves in the areas where we perceive others are excelling or advancing beyond us. This idea that we’re falling short lends itself to feelings of unworthiness or feeling like we’re not good enough. These feelings are generated from the thoughts we are unconsciously believing about ourselves and our worth. 

What we fail to realize is this reel of negativity that’s playing in our head is actually quite powerful. Our thoughts are always there, shaping our reality and working either for us or against us.

Quantum physicists are finding that our emotions or what we “feel” trigger actual chemical responses in the body.  These negative thoughts, or negative conversations we hold with ourselves cultivate real emotional responses that shape our lives. The mind-body connection is very important and we need to start watching which thoughts we give our attention to.

Self-Practice: 
Engage in a mindful practice of watching your thoughts. Ask yourself honestly, if the things you say to yourself, about yourself are things that you would say to someone else about their character, aesthetics, or choices.  In doing this, you'll probably find you're much harder on yourself than you ever would be to anyone else. Try focusing on some things you love about yourself to interrupt this dangerous cycle of negative self-talk.