Post by Mindfully Empowered in partnership with Words Alive!

Self-Compassion is treating ourselves with the same kindness that we would treat a close friend.

And guess what? Compassion, self-compassion and kindness are contagious! When we’re kind to someone, it makes that other person feel good and when that person feels good, they’re more likely to be kind to themselves and others and it goes on and on! How cool is that!?

We have noticed that many times, social media, texting or the internet can be a place where compassion can be hard to find. Have any of you ever experienced unhelpful or unkind situations on social media or with texting? Sometimes we can become so busy trying to keep up or impress others that we fall into those unhelpful thought cycles and lose track of treating others and ourselves with compassion and kindness.

“Sadly, there is no one we treat as badly as we treat ourselves.” — Kristin Neff, who researches compassion

Through a loving-kindness practice, we practice offering ourselves and those in our life kindness, remembering that we all wish for happiness, health and peace. We wish you all peace and health at this time and so grateful to be able to share these practices with you all.

Make it Lit with Words Alive!

Reading Extension: Click to read the full article.

“How Self-Compassion Can Help Teens De-stress”

In a 2014 national survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 31 percent of adolescents aged 13 to 17 said that their stress increased in the previous year, and 42 percent said they were not doing enough to manage their stress. Adolescents who experience frequent stress are more prone to depression and perform worse in school.

How can teens foster emotional well-being during this often-turbulent time of life?

Many teens turn to external sources—friends, family, hobbies. But what if they could turn inward and find support from within as well?