Self-Compassion

Sunday, March 1, 2020

If self-criticism were a disease, it would likely dwarf other epidemics.

                                                                                                The Fetzer Institute

The Jefferson Airplane sang “life is change…”. Wabi sabi is about appreciating the beauty of impermanence.

Embracing the inevitable changes of our continued living can be a hard row to hoe. One of the cruelest forms of internalized ageism is how harsh we can be on ourselves as we get older.

An important part of aging consciously, aging with intention, is self-compassion. People with greater levels of self-compassion have less anxiety and depression, a greater ability to forgive and are better able to cope with difficult life events.

When are you hard on yourself facing challenges of aging? What triggers your self-critic? Do you think about self-compassion as you age? Do you ever talk about it?

There are several key ways of developing self-compassion, some of which are:

• Recognize honestly your thoughts and feelings about aging
• Respond to your honest self-assessment with kindness
• Understand that you are not the only one who is fearful about aging
• Try to cultivate awareness every day

Compassion for oneself allows compassion for others, which allows for empathy and for the awareness that we are all interconnected. Although isolation is burgeoning amongst older people, aging is a collective event.