Kristen Neff, a pioneer in self-compassion research, often cites a study looking at how people tend to be much harsher on themselves than they would ever be with another. It turns out only 6% of us treat ourselves better than we do a friend. So for most of us, cultivating self-compassion is the ultimate self-care.
But it also makes me wonder what it would be like to be in that 6%. To wake up with a voice in my head that isn’t judgmental or critical or scared or desperately hoping to get other people to like me. That must be amazing. I guess it is at least good to know that if your inner critic is on the cranky side, you are definitely not alone.
And, yes, you can’t get enough bunny pictures, especially when talking about inner critics…
Photo by Waranya Mooldee on Unsplash
