This Is How You Practice Self-Compassion

I’ve been thinking about mindfulness quite a bit. I’ve been thinking about what it fully means to be a mindful person. I’ve been connecting the dots on the type of self-awareness it takes to truly be in a mindful state.

So what does it take for us to achieve that sort of self-compassion? For me, it’s finally starting to accept the things I view as weaknesses and turning them into my strengths. I have been told my entire life that I am “too nice” by various people. I have always looked at my overly empathetic, compassionate, and kind nature as a weakness and something for people to take advantage of. And they have. To be frank, I have bashed myself numerous times and have said how much I wish I didn’t feel these emotions.

However, in my adult life so far, I have realized just how necessary empathy, compassion, and kindness are. If I have these compassionate feelings towards everyone else, why don’t I have them towards myself? If anything, empathy, compassion, and kindness are the very things that connect all of us. They’re the very reason we experience love and friendship.

From my experience, being truly mindful is about having enough self-compassion to know that the things you may view as your weaknesses are actually your biggest asset. That sort of self-compassion can help ground you in the present moment instead of telling yourself you are behind on the “timeline.” Every morning, I wake up, look in the mirror, and say, “I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.” The fact of the matter is, what is this “timeline” we have all put ourselves on? Shouldn’t our happiness be the indicator of our success? Why do I have this overwhelming feeling that by age 30 I need to have found my dream job and be married to my soulmate? All I wish to focus on is having a good time. A fun time. So shouldn’t empathy, compassion, and kindness be what humanizes all of us?

No one has any answers on their future. From what I’ve gathered, it seems as if most of us are just trying to survive and maybe be a bit less freaked out than we were yesterday. Some of us are trying to just find contentment with where we are in life. Contentment can be the very thing that balances what we view as our inadequacies. With finding contentment, maybe we’ll be less concerned about what happens tomorrow and more okay with wherever today takes us. Today, the things I have previously viewed as my weaknesses are now my strengths. I am just now learning to embrace my empathy, compassion, and kindness. I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.