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James Fitzgerald Therapy, PLLC
James Fitzgerald, MS, NCC, Psychotherapist
Strengthening Your Conscious Self © 2022
March 5th
Daily Self Care Inspiration
Please accept this self-care resource from James Fitzgerald Therapy and Strengthening Your Conscious Self Health & Wellness Program. You are invited to consume as much or as little of the content as you feel comfortable with. You don’t have to do all of the activities every day. This feature of the website is a tool in your toolbox, to be used as you need. Thank you for using this feature, I appreciate your support.
Recommended Reading Article:
20 Reasons Why Compassion is so Important in Psychology
Heather S. Lonczak, PhD
Book Recommendation:
Self Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
Kristin Neff, PhD
Thinking Errors & Logic
Why do we mispredict how much our emotions influence our behavior?
Atlas of Emotion & Emotional Intelligence
Compassion (desire to ease suffering) @ Good Therapy
Inspirational Quote
“Painful feelings are, by their very nature, temporary. They will weaken over time as long as we don’t prolong or amplify them through resistance or avoidance. The only way to eventually free ourselves from debilitating pain, therefore, is to be with it as it is. The only way out is through.”
— Kristin Neff
Character Strength:
Kindness [generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, niceness]
Kindness, generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, and altruistic love are a network of closely related terms indicating a common orientation of the self toward the other. This orientation can be contrasted with solipsism, in which the self relates to others only insofar as they contribute to his or her agenda and are therefore considered useful. Kindness and altruistic love require the assertion of a common humanity in which others are worthy of attention and affirmation for no utilitarian reasons but for their own sake. The affective or emotional ground of such kindness distinguishes it from a merely dutiful or principle-based respect for other persons. Such affective states are expected to give rise to helping behaviors that are not based on an assurance of reciprocity.
Compassion, in my view, is neither empathy nor sympathy, but requires both. Empathy involves responding to another person’s emotions with emotions that are similar. Sympathy entails feeling regret for another person’s suffering. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring about another person’s happiness as if it were your own. Compassion is deep empathy for the suffering of others. Compassion flows freely from the heart when we let go of judgments and seek to understand. When people feel hurt or in trouble, they often feel alone. Feeling alone can make things even worse. Without compassion the world is a hard and lonely place. Being compassionate helps us to feel less alone. Compassion helps us to be understanding of others and ourselves.
Compassion begins by noticing when someone seems sad or troubled. Put yourself in their place and ask how you would feel if it were happening to you. Think about how you can help. Take time to listen, and then say kind things like, “What are you sad about?” and “How can I help?” Be forgiving when others make mistakes. Be a friend when someone needs a friend.
Self Care Practice Suggestion:
Care for yourself by taking a well-deserved nap. There are few activities that hold the rejuvenating power of a quick nap. A midday nap can restore alertness, enhance your performance, and even reduce your chance of a heart attack. Power napping for 20 to 30 minutes is the ideal way to bolster energy and harness the benefits of a midday rest without interfering with your sleep routine (circadian rhythms). Try fitting one in today.
Dr. Zoe Shaw
Reflection & Journal Prompts:
How did the practice of wishing others well impact your interactions?
Did it shift your mood in any way?
Did it impact the quality of your attention?