The world is in crisis. Many of us are feeling the effects of yet another pandemic surge. Whether we’re quarantined, working in understaffed jobs or just hitting that wall (again), it’s okay to acknowledge that this is hard.

Sometimes even doing basic self-care is too much when times are hard. So this week, let’s make it even simpler than that.

This week, let’s focus on self-compassion. Dr. Kristin Neff, author of “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself” says that self-compassion is much like compassion for others. It “involves acting the same way towards yourself when you are having a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself.”

Think about this: if a loved one came to you this week and said, “I am having a hard time. Work is hard. Life is hard. These are the things I am going through…” you would likely not respond with, “Keep going. People are depending on you.” You would likely respond with kindness and empathy, understanding and compassion. You would probably tell the person to take care of themselves, to not beat themselves up when they make a mistake, to rest when they need it.

So this week, we are going to work on extending that same compassion to ourselves that we typically extend to others.

Here are a few mantras you can say to yourself. Say them out loud. Print them if you need to!

I don’t have to do everything, even if I normally do. I can slow down if I need to.

If my body is telling me to rest, I can. And I should.

I give myself permission to take care of myself.

Things are hard right now. It’s okay to be having a hard time.

There are times for different things. This is a time to slow down.

As we all know by now, there will be seasons in life. This is a challenging season for many. But as we remind children, these hard feelings won’t last forever (even if it feels like they will!). That’s why it is important when we have a hard time to accept it, acknowledge it, and respond with self-compassion.

Sending everyone out there all our best compassion to you as you navigate this time.