Have Compassion for Yourself

Goria Steinem, dubbed the "most familiar face of the women's movement" in a recent  NYTimes article,  says while talking about her own retrospective view of herself;  "I saw how uncertain, how vulnerable I seemed.. . . In the moment, women are more likely to be self-critical. Looking back you have compassion for yourself."

Whether you're a negative self-talker or not, start the week this Monday by letting up on the constant self-evaluation which ends up as rumination sometimes. Instead, if there is a problem that does need to be solved, e.g. "I shouldn't have said that to Evita. She probably felt criticized," make a plan: apologize or plan to not speak to your colleague in a judgmental way again.

Do the same thing for yourself. Compassion is empathy and kindness. The antonym is coldness, which produces nothing for us or others.