18 Quotes to Inspire Self-Kindness and Self-Compassion
Sometimes it’s hard to accept who we are. We struggle with feeling comfortable in our own skin. We’re hard on ourselves and can’t help but see all the flaws. What’s needed is compassion — not only for others, but ourselves. Here are 18 quotes to inspire self-compassion and peace.
“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.”
“You’ve been criticising yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”
“Being human is not about being any one particular way; it is about being as life creates you—with your own particular strengths and weaknesses, gifts and challenges, quirks and oddities.”
“Painful feelings are, by their very nature, temporary. They will weaken over time as long as we don’t prolong or amplify them through resistance or avoidance. The only way to eventually free ourselves from debilitating pain, therefore, is to be with it as it is. The only way out is through.”
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
“This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need.”
“Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. We need to take care of our own needs first, so that we can give from our surplus, our abundance. When we nurture others from a place of fullness, we feel renewed instead of taken advantage of.”
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”
“It is a beautiful experience being with ourselves at a level of complete acceptance. When that begins to happen, when you give up resistance and needing to be perfect, a peace will come over you as you have never known.”
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”
“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.”
“It’s like a mother, when the baby is crying, she picks up the baby and she holds the baby tenderly in her arms. Your pain, your anxiety is your baby. You have to take care of it. You have to go back to yourself, to recognize the suffering in you, embrace the suffering, and you get a relief.”
“Talk to yourself as you would someone you love.”
“If you do not respect your own wishes, no one else will. You will simply attract people who disrespect you as much as you do.”
“To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight.”
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
“I found in my research that the biggest reason people aren’t more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they’ll become self-indulgent. They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line. Most people have gotten it wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.”
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Victoria Chialy Smith, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist serving the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. She provides individual therapy to children, teens, and adults with stress, anxiety, and depression. Our practice provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness and acceptance based therapies, and other top, premier evidence-based treatments. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!
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