"The great angst of modern life is this: no matter how hard we try, no matter how successful we are, no matter how good a parent, worker, or spouse we are – it’s never enough. " - Kristin Neff
Self-compassion and self-love are two related, but distinct, concepts. Self-compassion can be defined as being “kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings…” (Neff, n.d.). It means that you act the same way toward yourself when you are going through a tough time that you would act towards a dear friend: noticing the suffering, empathizing or “suffering with” yourself, and offering kindness and understanding. On the other hand, self-love is “a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological, and spiritual growth” (Khoshaba, 2012). It is about valuing yourself as a human being who is worthy of love and respect. Self-love is a more stable construct than self-compassion; while you can choose to be compassionate towards yourself in any moment, self-love is probably something that you will need to build up.
It’s important to distinguish self-compassion from self-esteem. Research indicates that self-compassion offers the same benefits as self-esteem (less depression, greater happiness, etc.) without its downsides. In a large survey conducted with over 3000 people from various walks of life, for example, it was found self-compassion was associated with much more stable feelings of self-worth (assessed 12 different times over an 8 month period) than self-esteem. This may be related to the fact that self-compassion was also found to be less contingent on things like physical attractiveness or successful performances than self-esteem. Also, self-esteem had a strong association with narcissism while self-compassion had no association with narcissism.
9 Benefits of Having Self-Compassion There are many, many benefits to self-compassion. These benefits include:
Greater happiness
Higher optimism
More positive affect (good mood)
A greater sense of wisdom
More motivation and willingness to take initiative
Increased curiosity, learning, and exploration
Higher agreeableness
More conscientiousness
Greater extroversion
In this workshop you will learn:
How to practice self-love and self-kindness
The aspects of a self-love deficit
The components of self-compassion
How to distinguish self-love from self-esteem
How to use mindfulness for more self-compassion
Useful tools and practical techniques for more self-love after the workshop
LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE - REGISTER NOW
“Thank you to the organizers for a great workshop and thank you for the feedback and stories from the participants. This makes the workshop become alive. Sharing is caring. Thank you.” R.
Useful Information & Registration
FEES: from 60€ (INCLUDING: Handouts & Coffee break nibbles) DAYS: 15/2/2020 TIME: 11.00-15.00 PLACE: Koninginnegracht 101, The Hague
