The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook

Gratitude involves recognizing, acknowledging, and being grateful for the good things in our lives. If we just focus on what we want but don’t have, we’ll remain in a negative state of mind. But when we focus on what we do have, and give thanks for it, we radically reframe our experience.

This means that other people are partly responsible for our state of mind, but we are also partly responsible for their state of mind. The good news is that emotional contagion gives us more power than we realize to change the emotional tenor of our relationships. Self-compassion can interrupt a downward spiral and start an upward spiral instead.

Soften–soothe–allow is a set of compassionate responses to difficult emotions we may find in the body. We can offer ourselves comfort in three ways: • Softening—physical compassion • Soothing—emotional compassion • Allowing—mental compassion

Ask yourself, “What do I need to feel safe right now?”

If you found a physical touch that works for you, try adopting this gesture whenever you feel stress or emotional pain in everyday life. By helping your body feel cared for and safe, you will make it easier for your mind and heart to follow.

Guilt refers to feeling bad about a behavior; shame is feeling bad about ourselves. Guilt

Shame is the feeling that something is fundamentally wrong with us that will render us unacceptable or unlovable. One of the reasons shame is so intense is that it feels like our very survival is at stake.

course, there is a big difference between simply acknowledging what’s true— that we have good as well as not-so-good qualities—and saying that we’re perfect or better than others. It’s

One of the biggest benefits of self-compassion is that it doesn’t just help you cope with negative emotions—it actively generates positive emotions.