014 - Self-Compassion as an Antidote to Shame

Welcome to The Fully Lived Life podcast! A podcast for those who are longing to pursue the full life and want to break free from anything that holds them back. Listen in as two friends - a psychologist, Dr. Merry and a life coach, Gillian - talk about life, love and purpose - with wisdom, humour and transparency -  through the lens of science, psychology, and life experiences.

In today’s episode, we talk about extending self-compassion to bust shame, fear and help us grow and develop our resilience.

Self-compassion is directing empathy, gentleness and acceptance towards ourselves when we have messed up. Self-compassion says “I made a bad choice” whereas shame says “ I am a bad person”.  Self-compassion doesn’t excuse us but rather helps us to reflect honestly and then make appropriate changes towards growth.

Are you extending empathy and gentleness towards yourself?  Dr. Merry and Gillian both share personal experiences that caused them to unleash their inner critic.  Merry shares how quickly she can move towards shame and how she is growing in her move towards self-compassion. Gillian shares how an experience of shame played out in her life. The inner critic labels the person - self-compassion labels the behaviour. Dr. Merry walks us through some steps to move from the inner critic towards a more compassionate view of ourselves.

Self-compassion develops out of a stable sense of who we are. How do we develop self-compassion? This episode walks through practical steps towards self-acceptance and self-compassion.

Links:

Dr. Merry’s book: https://amzn.to/2rCrJyI

Dr. Merry’s videos: https://bit.ly/377eFR0

Dr. Merry’s website: https://drmerry.com

Dr. Lin & Associates: http://drlinandassociates.com

Gillian’s Website: https://gillianmcshane.com

The Power of Self Compassion by Kristen Neff: https://bit.ly/2SBDhM3