Learn to give yourself self-compassion at Sharpham

7th February, 2025

If your internal voice is unkind and you'd like to improve that, we, together with esteemed mindfulness and self-compassion teacher Kristin Neff, have some assistance.

In this exercise, Kristin invites you to enquire of yourself and your reactions.

This is an extract from Kristin's book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, recommended by our Barn Retreat Centre in our online bookshop here

If you feel you need to develop a kinder voice towards yourself, consider coming on one of our self-compassion retreats in Sharpham House, The Coach House or at The Barn

 


When we give ourselves compassion, the tight knot of negative self-judgment starts to dissolve, replaced by a feeling of peaceful, connected acceptance - a sparkling diamond that emerges from the coal.

Exercise One: How Do You React to Yourself and Your Life?

How do you typically react to yourself?

 

How do you typically react to life difficulties?

If you feel that you lack sufficient self-compassion, check in with yourself - are you criticizing yourself for this, too? If so, stop right there.

Try to feel compassion for how difficult it is to be an imperfect human being in this extremely competitive society of ours.

Our culture does not emphasize self-compassion, quite the opposite. We’re told that no matter how hard we try, our best just isn’t good enough. It’s time for something different.

We can all benefit by learning to be more self-compassionate, and now is the perfect time to start.