by Kells McPhillips of Well + Good
1. JOURNAL YOUR WINS
“Journaling is a really effective way to practice self-compassion, but not just a free-flowing journal,” says Burstein. “I recommend a journal prompt that encourages you to reflect on what went well that day—or better yet—what you did well that day. This is effective because not only is it allowing us to focus on the positives, but it’s often more challenging for people to identify what’s going well and could take some practice to encourage positive self-talk.” Silvershein calls seeking out the things you did well finding your “golden nuggets,” and she says identifying two each day will do the trick.
2. TREAT YOURSELF TO SOMETHING YOU ENJOY ON A DAILY BASIS
When the week gets busy, your self-care rituals may get pushed back on your calendar to Saturday and Sunday. And sometimes, that’s just the way it goes. But Burstein wants you to do your absolute best to schedule at least 30 minutes of your choice of me-time activity every single day, as one of your standing self-compassion practices. “This could be something as small as watching an hour of your favorite TV show when you get home from work,” she says. “This is effective because it gives us a break from work, school, or whatever else in life may be stressing us out.”
3. PRACTICE TURNING NEGATIVE SELF-TALK INTO SOMETHING POSITIVE
“When you find yourself asking ‘how could you have done that?’, can you answer this question with understanding,” ask Burstein. For instance, if you forget your wallet at home, remind yourself that you were running on a tight timeline or had to carry about a million bags to work and just forgot. “By answering these negative self-talk questions, you’re able to give yourself better understanding and acceptance as well as take away some of the harsh criticism.” Consider it a self-compassion-boosting win.
{Mindfully curated by Debra Gudema for Well&Co.}