Self-Compassion
Guest User
My colleagues and I recently were asked to put together a video to honor teachers for Teacher Appreciation week. Our team leader emailed wonderfully specific directions that included screen shots, numbers, bullets and color-coding to support successful completion of this fun project. Yet, even though I wanted to participate, I don’t see myself as “creative.” Heck, I don’t even own the colored markers needed to make an inspiring sign!
Nevertheless, I tamped down the negative self-talk, enlisted help to complete the video, and proudly emailed it to my team lead. In my haste to push through my anxiety, however, I sent it to the wrong person. Sadly, my contribution wasn’t included in the group video.
My internal voice began shrieking at me in a way that I would never dream of talking to anyone else.
As leaders, we are exceedingly mindful of how we speak to students, teachers, and parents. We lead with compassion for others; our internal voices, on the other hand, can be quite harsh.
A recent podcast featuring Kristen Neff reminded me that self-criticism is not effective; instead, self-compassion yields much greater results. It was a timely reminder for me, and I hope it is for you, too.