Let's meditate and do some journaling together.
Journaling can be a powerful way to practice mindful self-compassion or inner compassion.
When creating time and space to pause,
Reflect,
And allow our thoughts to flow uncensored,
We make the invisible visible.
This is where insight comes in.
There's something that happens when our mind gathers thoughts and emotions and translates them to the page.
We start to see more clearly.
We'll do some meditation and journaling to help you connect to what matters most as you cultivate a gentle,
Kind way of deepening inner compassion.
If you're in a place where you can write,
Find a pen and paper or your journal for this practice.
If not,
You can answer the prompts in your mind,
But do come back later so you can write down what you came up with.
You can also share your insights with a friend.
For now,
Let's begin to develop the journaling habit by working with a series of five prompts.
I'll give you a prompt,
A sentence starter,
And when you hear it,
You start writing,
Letting the ideas flow.
Use this process of self-inquiry and write down whatever comes to mind.
The act of writing can be important to distill and clarify thoughts.
Journaling also focuses your attention in a way that provides insights that might not otherwise surface.
Before I give you your prompts,
Let's begin with a few easy,
Deliberate breaths.
Start with bringing attention to your feet on the floor.
As you breathe,
Lengthen your body.
Extend your spine so you're alert and relaxed,
But not stiff.
You can close your eyes if you like right now.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Simply breathing.
Allow your mind and body to settle and let go of anything that might be lingering from earlier today.
In,
Out,
Calm,
Ease.
Just arriving right here in the body.
Now open your eyes and we'll use the tool of journaling to help see things more clearly and cultivate inner compassion.
Here's how it will go.
I'll give you a prompt and you can use that as a jumping off point.
You can press pause or just keep going,
Giving yourself some space.
Just allow your thoughts to flow on paper.
So here's the first prompt.
What do I need most right now?
What do I need most right now?
What do I need most right now?
What do I need most right now?
What do I need most right now?
What do I need most right now?
Okay,
Are you ready for the second prompt?
Here it is.
What gets in the way of me being self-compassionate is.
Again,
What gets in the way of me being self-compassionate is.
What gets in the way of me being self-compassionate is.
What gets in the way of me being self-compassionate is.
What gets in the way of me being self-compassionate is.
What gets in the way of me being self-compassionate is.
What gets in the way of me being self-compassionate is.
Okay,
Now for the third prompt.
Given the powerful benefits of self-compassion,
I'd like to reduce my tendencies too.
Given the benefits of self-compassion,
I'd like to reduce my tendencies or let go of habits that aren't serving me,
Which might be.
As you're journaling,
I invite you to put me on pause and really let your thoughts flow.
When you're done,
You can come back and just step right back in with me.
Writing with a pen and paper allows you to discover what's often below the level of awareness.
We've done three prompts so far.
Let's do two more.
The fourth prompt is,
With the practice of self-compassion,
I would like to increase or amplify.
Again,
With the practice of self-compassion,
I would like to increase or amplify.
Now you can hit pause and allow that prompt to be a jumping off point for you.
Again,
With the practice of self-compassion,
I would like to increase or amplify.
You You You And for our final journaling prompt What would most support me in practicing self-compassion is Again,
What would most support me in practicing self-compassion is You You You You You You You You You Well done The studies on the positive effects of practicing self-compassion are compelling We learn to shift our attention from self-criticism or self-judgment or blame to a more kind open compassionate attitude towards ourselves The research from Kristin Neff and Christopher Gamer and their teams suggests that individuals with higher self-compassion tend to be more motivated and self-confident take greater responsibility for mistakes have increased strength and resilience and experience more caring in relationships Self-compassion is a quality and a skill that allows you to navigate this life with a little more ease I Encourage you to see this for yourself in your own life That is the most powerful research of all Thank you for being here with me and may you be well You
