by Dr. Kristin Neff , Ph.D.

“Treat yourself like you would treat your best friend”

Introduction

       The above quote sounds so easy to do but the reality is that it is hard to execute. When our best friend is suffering or distraught we would never say, “You are so stupid, why did you ever do that? Don’t you know any better? Stop being a baby and feeling sorry for yourself. ” No, we would most likely come up to them, put our arms around them and console them by saying, ” It’s ok, everyone makes mistakes. The world goes on and tomorrow will be another day, another opportunity to do better.” Why is it then, when we make mistakes, we often treat ourselves and engage in self talk like the former example and not the latter. Why do we treat ourselves cruelly, expect so much more and hold ourselves to a higher standard than we do others? For most of us, it comes naturally to show compassion to those that are suffering but it does not come so naturally to show self-compassion when we feel the same way.
        Dr. Kristin Neff’s book, “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself,” attempts to answer why we don’t show more self-compassion to ourselves and why showing ourselves self-compassion is more important and healthier for us than having high self-esteem. Dr. Neff then discusses how to effectively implement self-compassion into our daily lives.
       This book is a powerful self help book that will change your perspective on how you should treat yourself to deal in a productive way with stressful and unpleasant situations. You may be surprised what a little self-compassion can do to help you live a happier and healthier life. Read more…