One of my quirks is that if I see a worm moving on a sidewalk after the rain has ended and the sun is shining, I will pick it up and move it to a shady, soil-rich spot. I can’t NOT do this. The idea of allowing that worm to continue to writhe, drying out in the sun would haunt me for the rest of the day.
I know it’s probably silly. But it feels good to act on the compassion I experience whenever I see worms in this state.
Believe it or not, there are scientifically proven benefits of compassion. These benefits include:
· Happiness
· Attractiveness to others
· More health and longevity
· Boosting our mood
· It’s good for the environment (and saves worms)
What triggers compassion within you?
Is it listening to a friend share a difficult life story? When you see a homeless person? How about if you see an animal suffering? If someone in a movie is crying, do you feel compelled to cry too?
Compassion for others seems to come fairly easily for most of us. But how do you do with self-compassion?
So many of my clients express that they struggle with self-compassion. They’re afraid that they’ll be seen as selfish or that they’ll lose the drive and motivation to keep pushing toward their goals.
Cultivating self-compassion is one of the biggest ways to develop emotional resilience, according to self-compassion expert Kristin Neff. Self-compassion is a major antidote to insecurity and self-doubt. And it can help us move through anything that causes us to suffer. Self-compassion also makes us more successful in life overall, according to research!
But what if it’s hard to direct compassion toward ourselves?
That’s what I talk about in this episode of Growing in Uncertainty- ways to develop self-compassion so that we don’t get STUCK in self-deprecation!