Transform your response to setbacks using self-compassion, with Prof. Kristin Neff

Feb 12, 2025

Professor Kristin Neff, a trailblazer in self-compassion research and author from the University of Texas at Austin, shares valuable insights on kindness towards oneself. She highlights how self-compassion can transform our response to failures and setbacks. Listeners learn techniques for integrating self-compassion into daily life and discover the difference between self-care and self-compassion. Kristin also offers practical strategies for setting boundaries and saying 'no' without guilt, emphasizing the importance of supporting our emotional needs.

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ADVICE

Self-Care vs. Self-Compassion

Understand the difference between self-care and self-compassion.
Self-care involves behaviors like naps or bubble baths, while self-compassion is an emotional regulation tool.

ANECDOTE

Kristin Neff's Daily Self-Compassion

Kristin Neff uses self-compassion daily, primarily when facing discomfort or pain.
She gives an example of using self-compassion during a dance group when painful memories arose.

ADVICE

Self-Compassion Through Touch and Language

Use self-touch, like placing a hand on your heart, to activate the care system and reduce stress.
Combine this with kind language, addressing different parts of yourself with support and care.

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When you make a mistake, at work do feel ashamed and beat yourself up about it?

It turns out that if we applied self-compassion in those moments, not only would we be kinder to ourselves, we’d also handle our work load better as well.

Professor Kristin Neff is a pioneer in the study of self-compassion. Her early work in the field and multiple best-selling books on the topic have seen her become recognised as one of the most influential scholars in the field of psychology.

In this episode Kristin shares:

🌿 The difference between self-care and self-compassion and why knowing the difference matters

🧘‍♀️ Some tricks you can use to incorporate self-compassion into your life

💪 How self-compassion can help you handle failure and setbacks

⏸️ The exact way you can take a “self-compassion break”
🙅‍♂️ Strategies you can use to say “no” to things without feeling guilty

Key Quotes:

“As mammals we have the compassion template...we just have to give ourselves permission to use it with ourselves.”

“Not only do we abandon ourselves, we kick ourselves when we are down.”

“A lot of people ask me to do stuff and I often have to say no and that's kind of a fierce self-compassion practice.”

Connect with Kristin via her website, facebook or Instagram.

Take the self compassion quiz or join the self compassion community.

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/

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If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au

Credits:

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler

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