10 Of The Most Powerful Self-Compassion Quotes

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Have you ever come across a quote that activated hope inside of you and had the power to completely turn your day around? Well today my friends, if you’re in search of that kind of quote, you’re in luck. Because I’ve gathered my top 10 favorite quotes on self-compassion, to help you do just that.

Self-compassion means viewing yourself with kindness instead of criticism and self-loathing.

What is self-compassion?

Dr. Kristin Neff, who is a pioneer researcher in this area of psychology, describes self-compassion as having 3 core components:

  1. Being able to relate to yourself kindly. To encourage, embrace, and empathize with yourself.
  2. Reminding yourself of your common humanity, A.K.A it’s okay to be imperfect – YOU’RE HUMAN!
  3. Practicing mindfulness; being in the moment, and validating yourself and your experience as it is, without trying to force anything.

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, if it were, then many of us would be moving through our days with more peace of mind, and a deeper sense of ease and wellbeing.

The first time that I was confronted with the idea of self-compassion was in my own therapy.

It was going through a rough patch, to say the least. I was being strung along by a guy. And I felt terrible about my appearance after chopping all of my hair off. I also got rejected from a job I interviewed for. To sum it up, I was suffering. A lot.

My therapist at the time asked me, “what would you say to a friend who was going through something similar?”

And my answer was something like, “I wish there was something I could do to make it better. What you look like, the job you have, and your relationship status don’t matter to me. I still love you. I know things are hard right now, but I’m here for you.”

Then he then asked me to apply those sentiments towards myself. I was immediately floored.

Saying kind words to a friend is easy! But to myself??? IMPOSSIBLE

I tried it, and it didn’t click. I felt skeptical. It was unnatural, and honestly, really hard. Yet I had to admit, there was a spark of something that definitely felt better than the constant criticism and shame I was suffering through.

A seed was planted. And over the years, if I noticed myself suffering emotionally, instead of shaming myself or criticizing myself for the way I felt, I intentionally tried to be kind towards myself instead.

I find that a good quote reminds me to keep practicing self-compassion, especially on the days when it seems impossible.

My 10 Favorite Self-Compassion Quotes

“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

Louise Hay

“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.”

Steve Maraboli

“This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is part of life. May I be kind to myself in this moment. May I give myself the compassion I need.”

Kristin Neff

“There is no amount of self-improvement that can make up for a lack of self-acceptance.”

Robert Holden

“You can’t build joy on a feeling of self-loathing.”

Ram Dass

“Stop beating yourself up for beating yourself up.”

Eleanor Brown

“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”

Joseph Campbell

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”

Malcolm S. Forbes

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

My Personal Self-Compassion Quote

And the last one, which I actually came up with all by myself, is:

“Imagine if you loved yourself as much as you love your pet.”

You can also come up with your own self-compassion quote. Create a mantra that resonates, that you can come back to when you’re feeling down about yourself.

Self-compassion is giving yourself a warm hug. It’s letting yourself feel what’s real for you, and knowing you’re there to support yourself. It’s learning to accept your flaws and mistakes, or at least try to. And it’s trusting the inner wisdom that exists inside of you in order to heal.

And the best part about self-compassion is that over time, it will help you to build self-esteem and cultivate a more stable sense of self worth.

Even if you struggle with practicing self-compassion, all hope is not lost. Taking more time to self-reflect is a great place to start, and of course, going to therapy can help you dig a little deeper.

What is it like for you to practice self-compassion, and be kinder towards yourself?

Does it come easily or take some getting used to? What are some situations where you want to try and practice this more?

And, which quote is your favorite? Take it, write it down, and place it on your bathroom mirror to remind you to be kind to yourself.

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One Response

  1. Pingback: 5 Ways To Build Self-Esteem – Paige Rechtman, LMHC

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Hi! I'm Paige

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I’m a Licensed Psychotherapist based in NYC. 

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