Mindful Self-Compassion is a powerful approach that can transform the way we relate to ourselves, others, and respond to difficult experiences. Mindful Self-Compassion has three components: Mindfulness, Common Humanity, and Kindness.
By improving our ability to be mindful of our thoughts, our emotions, and our beliefs we are empowered to modify these and guide ourselves by our values and desires rather than staying on an autopilot that is defined by anxiety, worry, and self-criticism.
By connecting to common humanity, we can reduce the feelings of shame that emerge as a result of feeling alone and flawed by having struggles. Most of us isolate when we are in pain, but by recognizing every human struggles and experiences pain we can break out of that trap.
Finally, most of us are very hard on ourselves and are, as the cliche says, our own worst critics. This mindset, although often intended to help us grow, is more likely to hold us back. Chronic self-criticism leads to poor self-esteem, avoidance, and self-doubt. If we can instead change to an attitude of kindness, especially when we are struggling or made a mistake, we are more likely to be able to confront these challenges head on and make the changes that are called for.
I find that Mindful Self-Compassion can be powerfully transformative in the context of psychotherapy, especially for clients who struggle with perfectionism, anxiety, or shame.