Self-compassion is caring for oneself the way you would care for someone you truly loved who is going through a difficult time. According to Drs. Kristen Neff and Christoper Germer, Mindful Self-Compassion is founded upon three pillars:
Mindfulness (you first have to be aware of the fact that you are going through a difficult time)
Remembering our common humanity (you are not alone; we all experience difficulty at some point; we are all imperfect)
Acts of self-kindness (compassionate self-statements, acts of self-care)
For many of us, we are more inclined to treat ourselves harshly, rather than kindly. Being "tough" on ourselves has it's adaptive qualities in the short term, but often leads to perfectionistic thinking, depression, and feelings of isolation.
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) and Mindful Self-Compassion-Short Course (MSC-SC) are multi-week holistic wellness programs that combine the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion to enhance emotional resilience. Participants learn to turn toward and acknowledge difficult thoughts and feelings (such as inadequacy, sadness, anger, confusion) with mindfulness and respond with kindness rather than self-criticism. Researchhas shown that self-compassion enhances emotional well-being.