C is for Compassion

It's week three of Alphabe-Thursday.

C is for Compassion...

There is no better act of kindness than trying to understand another person's pain, without judging, so you can help and support them through their suffering. It's a truly beautiful thing.

But sometimes we forget to offer that same level of compassion to ourselves.

I'm guilty of turning against myself during a difficult time. Of being harsh towards myself rather than comforting and caring for myself. I'm sure I'm not alone in this - I bet a lot of people end up berating themselves when things go wrong. Self-compassion is sometimes the last thing we think of. We spend so much time focussing on our faults that we miss an essential fact - no one is perfect.

Striving for perfection is a never-ending source of pain for most people. In our modern, success orientated world we can get so caught up in trying to achieve our goals and trying to stand out from the crowd that we put so much pressure on ourselves to 'get it right'. But making mistakes so we can learn and grow is part of being human. Without experiences (both 'good' and 'bad') to teach us about life we would never grow past babyhood. Mistakes are necessary. That's why we all make them. We weren't put here to be perfect. We're here to experience life, with all its ups and downs. 

That's why compassion towards others is so easy. If we let it be. We're all in the same boat - struggling to negotiate this thing called life - so we needn't be critical of others or of ourselves. No one has it all together, even if they appear that way. No one has reached the height of perfection because there is no such thing.

Remember - You are already enough. Just as you are. Warts and all.

That's the lesson in compassion that we need to bring to ourselves during tough times. No matter what is going on in our lives and no matter how hard things are, being kind to ourselves is the only way forward. So let self-compassion into your life.