Can You Cultivate Self-Compassion? with Kristin Neff

Kristin Neff is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Kristin is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she’s the author of the book, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself and creator of the CD series Self-Compassion Step by Step: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself.  In conjunction with her colleague, Dr. Chris Germer, she’s developed an 8-week training program called Mindful Self-Compassion. In this conversation, you will hear Kristin talk about self-compassion. She explains why our fear of failure and anxiety over performance are the two biggest reasons we don’t do as well as we should and shares how the simple practices of self-compassion can help us to feel more confident, motivated and resilient. Connect with Kristin Neff: Website: http://self-compassion.org/ You’ll Learn: [01:58] – Kristin provides some cultural and biological reasons that self-criticism is often our first response when things don’t go to plan. [04:06] – Kristin shares what her research shows to indicate that self-compassion is a better response in these moments. [05:41] – Kristin describes some of the key skills people can learn through her program on self-compassion. [07:26] – Kristin lists a few self-compassion practices that are ideal for work settings. [09:17] – Kristin talks about the universal sound for comfort and compassion. [13:49] – Kristin discusses the importance of self-compassion in the mix of other positive psychology practices. [14:33] – Kristin shares some things organizations and leaders can do to encourage self-compassion practices. [17:13] – Kristin explains “backdraft” and the types of people that may struggle with implementing self-compassion practices. [19:20] – Kristin reports that women are less self-compassion, but more compassionate to others than men. [20:58] – The Lightning Round with Kristin Neff Your Resources: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance - Angela Duckworth The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions - Christopher K. Germer and Sharon Salzberg Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.   Also, please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free! Special thanks to Kristin for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!