We can all be a little too hard on ourselves. Check out this self-compassion exercise our therapist created to practice shifting our perspective and be more kind to ourselves. Need more exercises like this? We currently are accepting new clients and do not have a waitlist. So if you feel like you need to talk, we’re here and ready to listen.
There is no doubt about it, life can be really hard sometimes and as human beings we all make mistakes. A lot of us become self-critical, feel ashamed and try to fix ourselves when something goes wrong. How do you treat yourself when things fall apart? We are often the hardest on ourselves. If you find yourself beating yourself up about what goes wrong in your life try to the exercise below.
How to Do It:
Take out a sheet of paper or open a blank document on your computer and go through the following steps.
- First, think about times when a close friend feels really bad about him- or herself or is really struggling in some way. How do you respond to your friend in these situations (when you’re at your best)? Please write down what you typically do and say, and note the tone in which you talk to your friend.
- Now think about times when you feel bad about yourself or are struggling. How do you typically respond to yourself in these situations? Please write down what you typically do and say, and note the tone in which you talk to yourself.
- Did you notice a difference? If so, ask yourself why. What factors or fears come into play that leads you to treat yourself and others so differently?
- Write down how you think things might change if you responded to yourself when you’re suffering in the same way you typically respond to a close friend.
- Next time you are struggling with something, try treating yourself like a good friend and see what happens.