We have heard one of the many buzzwords during stressful times, whether pre or post-Covid, such as self-care. Self-care is taking time out in your day to do activities that focus on caring for yourself. Some of these activities would include changing your sleeping habits to ensure a good night's rest or journaling or allowing breaks in your day to take a pause. However, Dr. Judith Wright explains that people should also focus on self-compassion. Another way to explain self-compassion is a way we develop compassion for our fears. The last way to think of self-compassion is by giving ourselves the same kindness that we would give to our close friends and family.


Dozens of people will say that we must fear the things that scare us when that may not be necessarily true; when we fear something, it may be out of a desire to protect ourselves from things that may make us uncomfortable or bring us harm. This reaction is not a bad thing to do since most people do not wish to feel pain or discomfort. On the other hand, we must allow ourselves to sit with that emotion and recognize why we feel these complex emotions. Whether that be through the journal, verbally speaking on these fears or meditation.


Another thing that is important to recognize when it comes to self-compassion is doing activities that show us compassion or feed our spirits. Avoid doing activities such as panicking, scrolling or watching the news, or partaking in binging, whether food, substance or Netflix. At the moment, these activities seem like good ways of taking us away from the moment that is causing us stress and discomfort. A vast majority of the time, this method of escaping these feelings works but is only temporary. To have lasting peace practice self-compassion, we must fill our souls and minds in an uplifting way. A few suggestions could be listening to music, creating art, reading, things of that nature that allow you to take that pause but in a positive manner.


One tip Dr. Wright says that we should learn how to hug ourselves. Hugs are a way to ground ourselves when we feel as if we are losing ourselves. With Covid-19 still rampant worldwide, it is not safe for us to physically reach out to our friends and family for that connection. A few social distance ideas on achieving that touch are hugging the people living with you or a family pet if you can. You may also want to try a weighted blanket since it mimics the sensation of being hugged, although you do want to test out different weights, so it is not too heavy for you.


All of these practices are customizable; in other words, self-compassion depends on what you desire at that moment. What works for your friends or coworkers may not work for you, and that is entirely okay.