You don’t have to love yourself to begin understanding yourself
We hear the importance of loving and accepting ourselves, but what if that sounds like a good idea, but you struggle to feel positively towards yourself? If you are more familiar with self-judgement or criticism towards the things you struggle to accept about yourself, parts you feel ashamed of, or behaviours you wish to change.
Why self-compassion can feel hard
There are a number of blocks to giving or receiving compassion, when it might be helpful. These influence how we relate to ourselves and others, and can make compassion feel uncomfortable, unfamiliar or even threatening. Understanding these blocks can help us approach the moments compassion could help with curiosity, rather than judgement, shame or criticism.
You don’t have to feel someone else’s feelings to care about them
You can care about what someone else is feeling without making it your responsibility to change how they feel. This is what allows empathy to become more sustainable: not caring less about other people, but learning that you can care about them while continuing to care about yourself.
