HEALTH AND WELLBEING.

The Importance of Compassion. 

Inevitably as we tread throughout life we will face moments that uproot and disorientate, moments of pain and despair. In these times compassion and love extended to ourselves or recieved from others can uplift and gather, compassion meaning to be with (com) suffering (passion). Love and compassion are the seeds on which all of humanity grows, in its absence we can become stuck and dwindle, its presence illuminating the tenderness of what being human means, imperfections, flaws and struggle. Compassion is an embodied sense intertwining acceptance, non-judgement, understanding, empathy, kindness and forgiveness and emerges as Dr Daniel Siegel (2009) writes when we practice attunement and awareness of ourselves that connects thought to body. In times of need often we honour those near to us with compassion and do not afford ourselves the same generosity yet compassion when directed to ourselves might be the most important thing that we can do.

References and Further Reading.

Siegel D, 2009, ‘Mindful Awareness, Mindsight, and Neural Integration’, The Humanistic Psychologist, 37: 137–158, cited online Sept 22,. https://www.openground.com.au/assets/Documents-Openground/Articles/e11efea8b2/Mindful-Awareness-Siegel.pdf

https://self-compassion.org