It’s common to feel stressed and be hard on ourselves, especially in a culture that's so focused on performance and achieving targets. Research shows that people who have higher levels of self-compassion are often more resilient than those who aren't as compassionate. They have less of a physical response to stressful situations and spend less time dwelling on these situations after they've happened.
This is partly because self-compassion involves actively recognising your strengths and achievements, which boosts self-confidence and our belief in our ability to cope with difficult situations.
But self-compassion also impacts our biology. A self-critical, or unkind stance, towards yourself when you're going through testing times, activates your body's natural stress response, sometimes called the "fight or flight" response.
A recent study by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford* found that exercising self-compassion helps calm your heart rate and shut down this threat response. Study participants demonstrated a state of relaxation and security. They also reported feeling a stronger connection to other people.
If you exercise self-compassion, you're also more likely to:
Self-compassion also encourages personal and professional development, which further improves our confidence and self-esteem. This helps us remember our strengths and skill set objectively without fear of criticism and judgement. We're then able to identify areas for improvement and make changes for the better.
“My life now is so much better. Having counselling and being able to understand everything has impacted on so many areas of my life; my relationship, friendships and family, work, my social life, but perhaps most importantly, how I view myself and respect myself. I feel more confident as a result of counselling and everything has started to slot into place. My work productivity has improved so much.”
Here are a few ways you can show yourself more kindness and understanding:
Good mental health is more than just the absence of mental illness. It’s about your thoughts and feelings and how you cope with everyday life. Here we take a closer look at mental health and how you can maintain a positive relationship with yours.
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