As our clients near the end of the first month of the new year, perhaps establishing new habits, or feeling critical of themselves for habits they have not yet begun, self-compassion is an excellent practice.
In MEDITATION: BE GOOD TO YOURSELF, Kristin Neff reminds us of the value of empathy in the practice of self-compassion. This form of empathy begins with the acknowledgement of suffering; allowing one to notice, name and experience the pain of the negative emotions. The very act of naming the emotion reduces its intensity – Dr. Dan Siegel calls this “name it to tame it.”
Coaches will benefit clients by supporting them in identifying the emotions they are experiencing, perhaps utilizing the FEELINGS LISTS from Compassionate Communication, as a first step in untangling the emotion to allow the light of self-compassion in.