Practice 6 of 8
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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.

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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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