Practice 6 of 8

PRACTICE 6

When You Fall Short: Compassion Instead Of Shame

Shame says “you are the mistake.

7 min · Beginner

Shame collapses the difference between what you did and who you are. It turns a single action into a whole identity, and it does this quickly, quietly, and with great authority.

Compassion doesn't excuse mistakes. It just refuses to let a mistake decide who you are. It says: I did that, and I am also the person who can look at it clearly, learn from it, and try again.

This is the paradox self-compassion research keeps finding: people who are kinder to themselves after failing don't try less. They try more, because they aren't spending all their energy defending against their own inner attacks.

CLOSING AFFIRMATION

They try more, because they aren't spending all their energy defending against their own inner attacks.

REFLECT ON THIS

What is one thing I've been ashamed of that I could speak about with compassion instead?

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Practice 7 · Boundaries As An Act Of Self-Compassion

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