The Importance of Self-Compassion

Mindful_Trent

Love the message behind this article - it very much applies to the health/weight-loss part of our lives, as well as life in general...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110515/sc_livescience/selfcompassionthemostimportantlifeskill

A few key excerpts:

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Compassion is sensitivity to the suffering of self and others and a commitment to do something about it.

Self-compassion, as defined by Neff in the academic literature, has three aspects: mindfulness, common humanity and kindness. Mindfulness is holding your own thoughts and feelings rather than suppressing or being carried away by them. Common humanity, in part, is the understanding that your feelings and experiences are not completely unique. No matter how hard we try to avoid or hide them, all humans go through hardships and have daily pains, frustrations and disappointments. Being kind to yourself is not only providing comfort in the moment; it is also committing, whenever possible, to reducing future instances of such suffering.

Due to our ever-increasing competitive societies, researchers speculate the tendency to choose self-punishment, rather than self-compassion, is on the rise. People often believe that punishing themselves will keep them in line and ultimately keep them safe.

Unfortunately, self-criticism can lead to generalized hostility (toward oneself and others), anxiety and depression; these are problems that can handicap people from reaching their full potential.

Self-critics also report feeling like they have lower energy levels, researchers have found, and often subconsciously engage in self-handicapping strategies, such as procrastination, Neff told LiveScience.

Turning instead to the side that will offer a mental hug may sound soft. And according to Neff, the most common fear about becoming self-compassionate is that it will lower performance standards and encourage laziness. But researchers have found that self-compassionate people are actually less likely to sit on the couch all day eating bonbons.

"Self-compassion begins to sound like you are indulging yourself, but we don't find that. People high in self-compassion tend to have higher standards, work harder and take more personal responsibility for their actions," Leary said.

Mindful_Trent

:flowerforyou: Bump