Self-Compassion through Mindfulness

By Szymon

Do you consider yourself your own worst critic? Even the toughest condemnation from a stranger seldom surpasses the judgment people put on themselves. It takes considerable effort, mindfulness, and endurance to stop judging yourself.

You begin to lead a more fulfilling life, once you stop judging yourself. Accepting who you are, meditation, and loving yourself the same way you love your family are ways to stop the negative practice of self-judgment.

However, before you try and correct this habit, you need to examine the cause of why you judge yourself. When you look in the mirror, what is it you see? Do you see love, or shame?

Allow yourself to think and act with positivity. When you internalize that positive attitude, it changes the way you treat yourself. When that way of thinking is adopted, it shines and changes the way you ultimately view yourself. If your purpose is to improve yourself, then there is no space for negative self-judgment in your life.

Self-Judgment Can Be Destructive

Irrespective of how accomplished we are or how happy we may appear, we all grasp onto negative self-judgments, and ultimately they hold onto us. They hold us back from bettering ourselves. When we shift our minds to a more positive way of thinking, we enable ourselves to move forward with confidence.

Positive thinking is undeniably powerful; however, don’t hold yourself to idealistic standards and assume you are quickly going to alter lifelong thinking habits. The goal is to stop giving meaning to these self-judgments, because when you start to give them weight, they start to weigh you down! By practicing positive thinking, you will become more aware of self-criticism and start to change your way of thinking.

Start to Love Yourself

Pursue thoughts that are aligned with love. Thoughts that result in self-pity, and other negative feelings, only give you more reason to hate. This type of judgment doesn’t originate from love. Allow yourself to manifest positivity and learn to forgive your wrongs. The job of a judge is to reestablish harmony and balance. Your job, as your own judge, is to do so with kindness and an attitude for positivity.

Treating Yourself Like You Do Others

We are more critical of ourselves, and the judgments we place on ourselves are stricter than those we place on other people. You may look at someone and see the same flaws, but react differently. It is so much easier to overlook the negatives of other people, simply because they are not you.

Observe how you laugh and have a good time with a friend who is overweight, and you love them without passing any form of judgment, but you continually break yourself down for being slightly overweight. Is there a difference? You can encourage that friend who has a drinking problem, but you treat yourself poorly.

Try to acknowledge those things you overlook in others. Think of the qualities you share and the way you treat them differently to how you treat yourself. Substitute those negative views with compassion and forgiveness. Don’t be afraid to love yourself just as much as you love others.

When negative thoughts enter your mind, change the subject and move to something more uplifting and positive. Shifting your thoughts and thinking of positive things helps to short-circuit your negative way of thinking.

About the Author

Szymon is the founder of Love Meditating, a meditation-yoga blog dedicated to provide honest advice and information. He aspires to help his readers achieve inner peace and tranquility, sharing personal tips learned through both research and years of experience. Check out lovemeditating.com to learn more. You can also find him on Twitter at @LoveMeditating_.

Need help learning mindfulness meditation? Check out Mindfulness Meditation Made Simple: Your Guide to Finding True Inner peace (paperback).

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