Cultivating Compassion

Compassion is a hot topic in psychology and there seems to be more and more research suggesting that being compassionate can improve our physical health emotional well-being & naturally, our relationships. 

We now believe that compassion is an essential component to a healthy and fulfilling life. After all, compassion is what naturally bonds and connects us to others. 

As Brené Brown says, “Spirituality is recognizing & celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us. And that our connection to that power & to one another is grounded in love & compassion.” 

When communicating with others people who are more compassionate tend to be more optimistic & supportive...it seems to bring out the best of us in relationships. We become connected when we feel compassion toward one person which spills over into how we treat others. Just by learning to tune into others in a loving and compassionate way has numerous benefits. 

Of course, compassion toward others also means learning how to be self-compassionate. It’s not selfish...it’s self-care! Once you tend to your own needs, you can serve others from a place of overflowing love, energy and abundance.

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Ask yourself these questions when learning to cultivate compassion:

• Am I making assumptions about this person?

• Can I be curious about them instead of judgmental?

• What life circumstances lead this person to be this way?

• Do I dislike them because they reveal wounds i haven’t worked on myself?

• Can I see myself in them?

• Can I see underneath their defenses?

Reflection Questions:

• How could you practice compassion towards yourself today?

• Releasing judgements of others starts with letting go of self-judgements. What judgements are you holding on to? 

• How would cultivating compassion make your life easier? 

• Would some of the benefits you’d get out of being a compassionate person?

• In what ways would compassion change your perspective of a situation?