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your own best friend

Self-Compassion: Being Your Own Best Friend

Personal relationships are vital for our happiness and health. Any person who’s happy and successful in their lives has several meaningful friendships in their lives. Friends are a precious gift. Who do you think is the single most important friend that you have? That’s right, yourself.

 Are you being your own best friend?

 It might surprise you to hear that one of the best ways to cultivate a hopeful, optimistic outlook is to practice self-compassion. Frequently people confuse self-compassion with self-indulgence or even selfishness. But being kind to yourself is just as important as being kind to others, if not more so. Being your own best friend should be part of your self-care. Here are four ways that you can practice self compassion.
be kind
Photo by Lisa from Pexels

Self-Compassion Makes You More Optimistic


Being kind to yourself means you can stop that vicious cycle of self-blame and recrimination. It prevents you from ruminating on past mistakes and builds your resilience and confidence so you can pick yourself up and get back on track. When you are kind and encouraging to yourself, your anxiety levels drop, your mood lifts, and you become more optimistic and hopeful about the future.

 

Cultivate Mindfulness 


Perhaps the best way to start your self-compassion practice is to adopt a more mindful attitude to life. Mindfulness focuses on the acceptance of who you are, where you are right now. With all your faults and all your glory. Accept that whatever you're experiencing and feeling in the present moment is okay. Mindfulness and self-compassion help you to overcome denial and hesitation in your reality. It allows space for hope to come in.


 Accept that Hard Times Are Part of the Deal 


Self-compassion accepts that all human lives are a mixture of hard times and good times. Often the bad things that happen are out of your control. All you can do is decide how you're going to react. Will you be overwhelmed, or will you be angry? Or will you roll with punches, learn from your experiences, and get back on the horse? In times of fear or illness or natural disasters or any other of life's stressors, self-compassion allows you to take guilt or blame out of the equation and deal with whatever you're faced with.

selfcare
Photo by Thought Catalog from Pexels

Treat Yourself As You Would A Friend


Take a moment to look at how you're reacting. What is your self-talk saying to you? Are you reassuring yourself that things will work out okay, or are you beating yourself up for something you did or didn't do? Would you talk to your best friend like that? How would they feel? Be as gentle in your self-talk as you would to a loved one who is in crisis. Be loving and kind, and reassuring. Extend the hand of hope to your own heart, and help yourself on the first steps back towards better times. 




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 I hope you enjoyed this article. Please leave a comment or share it to help someone else through their journey with change. Is it time for you to pivot? Change is difficult and you don't have to walk that path alone. Subscribe to my newsletter to get inspired and take action towards becoming a better you.

Author

  • Angel Lewis

    Hello there! I'm Angel, an entrepreneur and writer who grew up in rural North Carolina and now resides in Virginia. My love for writing began during my time at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. Over the past couple of years, I've authored two nonfiction books in the personal development genre. Along with writing for adults, I also created 'Ready. Set. Fly!', a children's book that inspires self-confidence and resilience. When I'm not writing, I enjoy gardening, reading, playing games, and spending time with those closest to me.

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2 thoughts on “Self-Compassion: Being Your Own Best Friend

  1. Loved reading this! I think that self-compassion is a must for everyone. I think that accepting that hard times happen takes time but helps us a lot as well as speaking to us as we would with a friend, thanks for sharing x

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