Reference no: EM133702163

Problem

Choose one of the following self-compassion practices (From Neff's (2021) exercisesLinks to an external site.) to practice this week. You can select the same one from last week, or choose a different one. You can click on the title for more information. Then, answer the following questions.

1) Self-compassion BreakLinks to an external site.: Think of a situation in your life that is difficult, that is causing you stress.?Call the situation to mind, and see if you can actually feel the stress and emotional?discomfort in your body. Now, say to yourself:

a) This is a moment of suffering
b) Suffering is a part of life
c) May I be kind to myself

2) Supportive TouchLinks to an external site.: One easy way to care for and comfort yourself when you're feeling badly is to give yourself supportive touch. Touch activates the care system and the parasympathetic nervous system to help us calm down and feel safe. It may feel awkward or embarrassing at first, but your body doesn't know that. It just responds to the physical gesture of warmth and care, just as a baby responds to being cuddled in its mother's arms. Our skin is an incredibly sensitive organ. Research indicates that physical touch releases oxytocin, provides a sense of security, soothes distressing emotions, and calms cardiovascular stress. So why not try it? You might like to try putting your hand on your body during difficult periods several times a day for a period of at least a week.

3) Changing Your Critical Self-TalkLinks to an external site.: For this exercise, think about the negative self-talk that you participate in. The first step towards changing the way to treat yourself is to notice when you are being self-critical. It may be that - like many of us -?your self-critical voice is so common for you that you don't even notice when it is present. Whenever you're feeling bad about something, think about what you've just said to yourself. Next, make an active effort to soften the self-critical voice, but do so with compassion rather than self-judgment. Then, reframe the observations made by your inner critic in a friendly, positive way.

A. Which self-compassion exercise did you choose, and why? If you changed from last week, what was the reason? Were you able to practice that more than one time?

B. Did you find this useful? What were the challenges you faced in implementing this strategy?

C. How will you apply this to your life (currently, or in your future nursing practice)?