Major depressive disorder, more commonly known as depression, affects more than 16 million US adults every year. An estimated 10% of the American population suffers from a depressive disorder or mental health illness every year. That is a staggering statistic.
This tells us that many people suffer with depression every day. New studies suggest that depression and depression-related disorders can be helped through self-compassion and self-love. So, what is self-compassion, and how can it assist in treating depression?
What Is Self-Compassion?
Self-compassion is when you are accepting, understanding, and loving towards yourself. Self-compassion means treating yourself with the same respect and kindness as a friend or family member.
You can help relieve many mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and insecurities with self-compassion. You will be less critical of yourself and more understanding of your inadequacies and insecurities.
Sometimes, we are unconsciously critical of ourselves, our actions, and our imperfections. This could be in the form of negative self-talk, judgmental thoughts, and comments that we turn inwards towards ourselves. We are our own harshest critics, which can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and depression.
How Can Self-Compassion Help Defeat Depression?
If you had a friend or family member suffering from depression, and they told you all of the things that they disliked about themselves, you would stop them in their tracks. Rather than focusing on the lies and insecurities, you would focus on their strengths and valuable qualities.
So, why would you beat yourself down and tell yourself that you are not good enough?
To help defeat your depressive thoughts, you need to practice self-compassion. Studies show that being self-compassionate can help you accept yourself as you are, begin to love yourself and stop punishing yourself. It can also help build up low self-esteem, strengthen your relationship with yourself, and improve your self-worth.
How To Be Self-Compassionate
There are three main components of self-compassion. These are self-kindness, mindfulness, and humanity.
- Self kindness
Self-kindness involves being kinder to yourself, understanding that you will have imperfections, and you will not always be perfect or right, but that is okay. Regarding self-kindness, you have to practice self-care and understand that self-care is far more powerful and beneficial than self-criticism.
- Mindfulness
Mindfulness needs to be practiced. This involves being present and aware of what you’re doing in the moment, without judgment or interpretation. You will need to accept and be mindful of your negative thoughts and emotions but try not to be too hard on yourself.
- Humanity
Humanity means acknowledging and understanding that everyone is human and has a shared human experience where you will be vulnerable and make mistakes, just like everyone else.
A New Way Forward
Self-compassion is all about loving yourself and accepting yourself for who you are, not punishing yourself.
To be more self-compassionate, you will need to try not to be so critical of yourself. Depression is not your choice, and it’s not your fault. You may feel frustrated at yourself for being depressed, but this is not something you’ve decided for yourself. You are not to blame.
Instead, you will also need to change your perspective and the way that you think. This can either be through cognitive behavior therapy with a therapist or through talking to yourself with positive affirmations and being kinder to yourself.
You also have to practice self-care. Take time to do the little things you love, remind yourself of your strengths and achievements, and leave little positive notes around your home to help prevent negative thoughts creeping back in.
If you’re struggling with self-worth and self-compassion, try to speak to a mental health professional for guidance and treatment.
