How to stop beating yourself up

“How to stop beating yourself up” is a workshop I’m teaching at the New York Insight Meditation Center on November 22. In this workshop I’ll be introducing, step-by-step, the skills of self-compassion. If you live in the area I hope you’ll be able to join me. Click here for more information on the workshop.

But we have a world-wide community here, and most of you won’t be able to attend.

I hear from a lot of people around the world who create suffering for themselves through self-criticism and self-hatred, and so I want to share some articles on self-compassion that I hope will be helpful. (And if you do live near NYC, this will give you an idea of the ground we’ll be covering.)

Self-compassion webinar. This is a recording of a presentation I did for the Zen Habits community, with a Q&A session at the end. This is one of the most recent pieces I’ve done, and it’s close to my current approach to teaching self-compassion, which is always evolving.

Cultivating self-compassion. This is also pretty much in line with what I’ll be teaching in NYC.

Developing compassion. What’s compassion? What’s suffering? How do we practice self-compassion?

Transforming hurt and anger through self-compassion . This article’s from several years ago, but I think it’s still useful.

Self-compassion for writers (and other tortured souls). The principles in this article are applicable to anyone.

Self-hatred, self-compassion, and non-self. Why the teaching of self-compassion isn’t incompatible with the Buddhist teaching of non-self.

Self-compassion is not selfish. Why practicing self-compassion is not selfish.

Meditating with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). This one includes an application of self-compassion principles to the pain and discomfort of IBS. Again, these principles can be applied to any emotional or physical pain.

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” Rainer Maria Rilke. On accepting difficult or painful feelings.

Again, if you can join me on the 22nd, I’d love to see you, and to share my approach to living with kindness and compassion towards ourselves, and toward all beings.