Do you find it hard to be kind to yourself? Some people are critical and judgmental of themselves, while being a lot kinder to friends, family or acquaintances. It can be hard for some people to extend kindness to themselves like they would do to others.
Jan 22nd, 2019
Do you find it hard to be kind to yourself? Some people are critical and judgmental of themselves, while being a lot kinder to friends, family or acquaintances. It can be hard for some people to extend kindness to themselves like they would do to others. Often, they learn to be unkind to themselves very early on in life. This pattern of thinking and lack of self-compassion can lead to chronic stress, frustration and even poor self-esteem.
Extending kindness to yourself and allowing yourself to be imperfect creates space for failures and faux pas that are inevitable in life. It allows you the freedom to move on beyond setbacks. You can be a much more wholesome version of yourself and create space for more life satisfaction and more meaningful relationships.
To begin with, consider the following:
What would I say to my friend in this situation?
Everyone fails sometimes, and I am no exception.
I value kindness, so I’ll start with myself.
I’m unique, and uniquely imperfect.
Dr. Sayanti BhattacharyaSayanti Bhattacharya, MD, MS, is a board-certified adult psychiatrist at Cognitive Psychiatry of Chapel Hill in North Carolina. Dr. Bhattacharya lends a wealth of experience in the treatment of anxiety, depression, sleep issues, memory problems, trauma-related stress disorders, and attention deficit disorders. She is also experienced working with people who have challenges with interpersonal communication, social anxiety, low self-esteem, overwhelming negative thinking, and sleep problems. She works with patients via both telemedicine and in person.