Self-compassion is not the same as self-esteem. Self-esteem involves thinking good things about yourself, valuing your skills and qualities and abilities, and knowing your intrinsic worth.
Self-compassion, on the other hand, is about recognizing that you have faults, but also recognizing that these faults are normal and part of a common human experience. People who are self-compassionate avoid self-criticism and instead accept that their imperfections will sometimes lead to mistakes. It is linked to a mindfulness in the sense that self-compassionate people observe their mistakes and problems objectively instead of internalizing and personalizing them.
To be self-compassionate, you must direct the same amount and kind of love and care to yourself as you would to a loved one. That means not blaming yourself, forgiving yourself and encouraging yourself to take a break from stressful situations. It’s easier said than done, but when mastered, self-compassion seems to have some important implications for our health and wellbeing.
According to 2012 research by Breines and Chen, practising self-compassion actually increase motivation to do better next time.
A set of 2007 studies by Duke University found that those with low self-esteem who practised self-compassion were able to react less negatively to criticism than they might otherwise have done.
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