Self-Compassion Break

A short meditation to help you tend to yourself in the midst of stress or difficulty. This is a cleaned audio version of the Self-Compassion Break recorded by the well-known meditation teacher Kristin Neff. It's about time you give yourself a break.

Transcript

This practice is called the self-compassion break and it's something you can do anytime during the day or at night when you need a little self-compassion.

So to practice this exercise we actually need to call up a little suffering.

So I'd invite you to think about a situation in your life right now that is difficult for you.

Maybe you're feeling stress or you're having a relationship problem or you're worried about something that might happen.

I'd invite you to think of something that is difficult but not overwhelmingly difficult especially if you're new to practicing the self-compassion break.

So finding a situation and getting in touch with it.

What's going on?

What happened?

Or what might happen?

Who said what?

Really bring the situation to life in your mind's eye.

And then I'm going to be saying a series of phrases that are designed to help us remember the three components of self-compassion when we need it most.

So the first phrase is,

This is a moment of suffering.

Right?

We're bringing mindful awareness to the fact that suffering is present.

And I'd invite you to find some language that speaks to you.

Something like,

This is really hard right now.

Or,

I'm really struggling.

We're actually turning toward our difficulty,

Acknowledging it,

Naming it.

This is a moment of suffering.

The second phrase is,

Suffering is a part of life.

Okay,

We're reminding ourselves of our common humanity.

Suffering is a part of life.

And again,

Finding language that speaks to you.

It may be something like,

It's not abnormal to feel this way.

Many people are going through similar situations.

Right?

The degree of suffering may be different.

The flavor of suffering may be different.

But suffering is a part of life,

Part of being human.

And then the third phrase is,

May I be kind to myself in this moment?

And to support bringing kindness to yourself,

I'd invite you to perhaps put your hands over your heart.

Or some other place on your body that feels soothing and comforting.

Feeling the warmth of your hands,

The gentle touch.

Letting those feelings of care stream through your fingers.

May I be kind to myself?

And using any language that supports that sense of kindness.

Perhaps language you would use with a good friend you cared about who was going through a very similar situation.

You know,

It may be something like,

I'm here for you.

It's going to be okay.

I care about you.

You can even try using a diminutive if that feels comfortable.

You know,

Oh darling,

I'm so sorry.

Or you can try calling yourself by your first name.

Anything that feels natural to express your deep wish that you be well and happy and free from suffering.

And then letting go of the practice and noticing how your body feels right now.

Allowing any sensations to be just as they are.

Allowing yourself to be just as you are in this moment.

Reviews

Lovely, short meditation when you need to give yourself a break 🫶🏻

Really helpful. I plan to continue to use this meditation to try to get in touch with my self-compassionate voice.

Hi Kristen,
I'm familiar with your work and was delighted to see you here on Insight Timer.
I was feeling overwhelmed about some of the health challenges i'm facing. Going through the three phases of of bringing compassion to ourselves worked very well. Along with your suggestions. Thank you so much for this soothing meditation. Blessings, Robt R.

Thank you so much, having a hard day and that may have helped.

I love the gentle nature of the three phrases. Namaste

A lovely meditation, like spending five minutes with a wise, compassionate friend - be prepared for it to end abruptly, though! Thank you, Kristin, for sharing it 🙏🏻

This is a wonderful meditation. I really didn’t want it to be over. I notice that self compassion and self kindness are key. And that suffering is part of every day life. And I’m not alone.

This is so simple and so wonderful - an easy guide to take me through self compassion. I’m saving this to my favorites for those days where i need a little extra TLC ♥️🌈🧡🌈💛🌈💚🌈💙

Thanks ❤️
Acknowledging that I suffer and showing compassion for myself made me feel relieved. The tears just came and I got such a clear connection with myself, the one who struggles but shuts down and shows a much tougher surface than the reality is on the inside.

Thank you for this refreshing break in the midst of a busy day. Namaste

This was the perfect find at the perfect time. Thank you 🙏🏼

Just right. And right on time. Thank you, Kristen!

Self compassion is something I really struggle with, but this helped me a lot😌

Of all the people to whom we give compassion, it's best to start with ourselves. Thank you.

Wonderful!
The only recommendation I have is that you could perhaps have a bell or some other soulful sound to indicate the difference nd of the session…
🙏🏼😊

This is such a great expression of the Self Compassion Break. It's something I return to often in my distressing times.

This is very soothing and a good reminder that there are other people out there who are suffering, too. I'm not alone. Other people have been through this, too. I always feel so alone when I'm in this place. Thank you for reminding me that I'm not alone.

Dr Neff's voice is so soothing. This meditation is so helpful when I'm spinning. Thank you!

Just what I needed to bring myself back to calmness. A very effective practice for moving through and releasing difficult feelings. Thank you. Bookmarked 🙏

I liked that❣️ I appreciated its realistic starting point that suffering is a part of life.