There are some simple, beautiful meditative practices we can use to help heal suffering. They can provide comfort in moments of acute distress and give us confidence in our ability to move forward. And we can share them with friends. 🙂
Here’s one particularly useful one I’ve often shared (life being what it is). Should you require assistance, try it! I hope it will help you, as it has so many.
Self-Compassion Break
(With hands held over your heart to feel the warmth)
This is a moment of suffering.
Suffering is part of life.
May I be kind to myself in this moment.
May I give myself the compassion I need.
In case you’d like to close your eyes and listen:
This practice was created by Kristin Neff, PhD, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at U of Texas at Austin. She’s spent several decades researching the benefits of self-compassion and has found that self-compassion is strongly related to mental health and healthy behaviors.
Her website is self-compassion.org, where you’ll find many resources and online learning opportunities. And this is a helpful article on Self-Compassion for Caregivers for all of you who are caring for others. (Thank you!)
May you be held in the heart of lovingkindness.
Leave a Reply