Self-Compassion: How to Make it Work for You | Dr. Chris Germer, Being Well

Why do so many people struggle with self-compassion? Dr. Chris Germer (‪@christophergermerph.d.8791‬) co-creator of the Mindful Self-Compassion program, joins me to explore how we can work with the deeply ingrained shame that gets in the way.

Dr. Germer shares common misunderstandings about self-compassion, and we discuss the complex interplay between shame, self-criticism, and our capacity for self-care. I then focus on the paradox of self-compassion: how approaching it as a “solution to your problems” can actually get in the way of it helping you out. Dr. Germer then shares the model of safety, challenge, and overwhelm, including how we can use it to guide our practice, get to the bottom of shame, and avoid burnout along the way.

Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
1:30 What people get wrong about self-compassion
5:00 Tender vs. fierce self-compassion, and the "paradox of practice"
11:45 Shame and self-compassion
18:00 Safety, challenge, and overwhelm
23:05 Holding ourselves before holding our experience
31:30 Burnout, and inner-kindness vs. external approval
37:25 Loving ourselves up vs. getting to the bottom of shame
42:10 Four ways of applying mindfulness to self-compassion practice
49:00 Overzealousness, and clarity of intention
53:40 Motivating ourselves
57:30 Recap

Subscribe to Being Well on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5d87ZU1...

Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.

I'm not a clinician, and what I say on this channel should not be taken as medical advice.

You can follow me here:
🎤 https://apple.co/38ufGG0
🌍 https://www.forresthanson.com
📸   / f.hanson