Embracing Self-Compassion in Your Career

Hello and welcome to the travelling introvert. Today I want to talk about self compassion and why it is vital or key to practice self compassion in your daily life, but specifically within your career. And the reason why this is important is self compassion involves treating yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to a good friend. And this has come up recently because I was talking to a good friend of mine and bashing myself over the head for not being as productive and not doing X and not doing Y and sort of listening to my body but feeling guilt about it and letting the pressure get to me and they gave me a good talking to compassionately, but pointed out to me how I wasn't being compassionate to myself and so self compassion at its core involves treating yourself with kindness, understanding, respect, mindfulness. Self kindness means being gentle with yourself especially when you make mistakes or face setbacks. Common humanity is the understanding that everyone experiences difficulties and failures and you are not in this alone and mindfulness part of it involves being present with your emotions without judging yourself. But why is self compassion important for success? So many of us believe that being hard on ourselves will push us to achieve more, to achieve greatness, to keep grinding. However, research shows that self compassion can actually lead to greater motivation and above all resilience.

When we're kind to ourselves we create a supportive environment that allows us to learn from our mistakes and move forward. Just like in a work environment if you're in a work environment that is always hustle hustle hustle grind grind grind it's far harder to take time and learn from mistakes because it's always the next thing the next project the next thing whereas if you're in a work environment that reviews previous work sees what's happened sees what's gone wrong and what can change in the future greater strides are made. And so how can you cultivate self compassion in your life? Practice self kindness. Noticing how you talk to yourself because you listen. You probably talk to yourself far more often than you realize, and replace those self critical thoughts with supportive ones. For example, if you miss a deadline instead of saying I'm such an idiot, I'm so incompetent, try I did my best and I can learn from this experience or what can I learn from this experience? Embrace the common humanity, remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes, it's part of being human. Connecting with others who have faced similar challenges can be comforting and help you realize that you're not alone or things that you could do differently next time. Cultivate mindfulness, attention to your thoughts and feelings but without judgment.

When you notice that negative self talk coming in acknowledge it and let it pass without dwelling on it and overthinking it. Techniques like meditation or deep breathing can help you with this and help you stay grounded. Also, something you could try is self compassionate writing. Try writing a letter and email to yourself and from the perspective of a compassionate friend. What would they say to support and encourage you? This exercise can kind of help you get out of your own head and help you also internalize a kinder voice for yourself because the more often you are kind to yourself, the more you make a habit for yourself, the easier it will become and the better your life will be and your mood will be and the better the more resilient you will be. So remember that self compassion is a skill that takes time to develop. It may feel uncomfortable at first but with practice, it can become a really powerful tool for personal and professional growth. By treating yourself with kindness and understanding, you will create a foundation for success that is both sustainable and fulfilling.

Thank you for listening to The Travelling Introvert, my name is Janice and I am CEO and head coach at The Career Introvert helping you build your brand and get hired. Have a great rest of your week.