garyweglarz
Sep 1, 2018 · 1 min read

Wonderful post Caitlin. Your last point “be gentle with yourself” is hugely important in all this. Before retiring as a therapist I often encountered people who were able to show deep compassion and empathy for total strangers, yet were blocked from being able to show that same basic human kindness to themselves. I have struggled with this same challenge myself in my own healing. Reflecting on that simple realization often helped people see the depth of their own self-critical thoughts and perceptions — “How can I easily feel compassion for a total stranger “facing this situation,” but not for myself?”

Once we accept both our own worthiness for self-compassion — as well as accept our own imperfections and human frailness- we are often much better able to see others with more clarity, compassion and empathy- and vice versa. It works in both directions. It is difficult to love the world and all beings, if we cannot allow ourselves to show love and “be gentle with” ourselves — complete with all our imperfections. Wonderful post.

    garyweglarz

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