Find yourself a comfortable seat.
It doesn't matter if you're in a chair or on the floor,
Choose what is most comfortable to you.
If you're sitting,
Make sure both your sitting bones are on the surface and soften your shoulders away from your ears.
Place your hands where they don't pull your shoulders forward.
If it feels okay for you to do so,
Close down your eyes.
Now just for a moment,
Think of a situation in your life that is stressful or challenging to you.
I encourage you not to choose the most challenging situation,
Nothing that feels deeply traumatic,
But something that possibly brings up resistance or painful thoughts or feelings.
Take a moment to imagine the details of the situation and notice how you react to thinking about this situation.
Notice that it feels difficult and notice how this feels in your body.
And this is the first step of a self-compassion break,
Recognizing when something is difficult and noticing how it shows up for you in your body.
So in this moment,
You might choose words that reflect the challenge,
Words such as,
This is difficult,
Or this is challenging,
This is painful,
Or this hurts.
Once we have taken a moment to acknowledge and to allow the painful thoughts or feelings or the challenge,
We then move on to the second component of self-compassion,
In which we recognize that stress and challenges are a part of life.
Take a moment to remember that every single person on this planet experiences painful thoughts and feelings at some point.
That is our common humanity.
And you might choose words that reflect this shared experience,
Such as,
Other people feel this way,
Or I'm not alone in this,
Or every person experiences painful thoughts,
Painful feelings.
And as the final and third component of self-compassion,
We choose to be kind to ourselves.
In bringing your attention back to your breath,
You might choose now a phrase or words that invite kindness.
And as much as possible,
Try to use a kind tone of voice as well.
You might use words such as,
I'd love to accept myself just as I am,
Including these thoughts or feelings,
Or I'm here for you,
I care about you.
Make an active attempt to soften that self-critical voice,
But do so with compassion rather than self-judgment,
Without adding a layer of self-judgment on top of the self-critical voice.
Sometimes we can't easily find the words,
And in that case,
You might choose to place a hand wherever the heart feels strongest,
Wherever the pain is strongest in your body,
A kind and soft hand,
Wherever they feel comforting.
This might be on your chest or your belly,
And you might feel the warmth of your hands as that transmits into your body.
If the sensation or thought continues to be particularly painful or challenging,
You might ask yourself the question,
What else do I need to hear right now to express kindness to myself?
Finally,
You might take a moment to imagine a place that makes you feel joyful and at ease.
Rest in that space for a moment.
This brings us to the end of our self-compassion break.
In your own time,
Become aware of the environment you're in,
Allow your eyes to open,
And your attention to refocus.
Take your time.
