Wellness Corner 11: Self-Compassion
Hey Falcons,
I’m one of several students at Kinkaid who consider themselves a perfectionist. I want to do my best at everything I do, and I hope to help motivate others to do so as well. Relentless perfectionism without some kindness toward yourself only results in feelings of fatigue. There have been times I’ve felt like the world is outpacing me, and I’ve learnt that in these times, going easier on myself has helped a ton.
Here are three easily implementable tactics to go easier on yourself.
1. Practice Self-Compassion
Humans aren’t perfect, and nor is our world. These are two facts that we have to, for better or worse, accept. Before relentlessly berating yourself over that Shakespeare reading or chemistry assignment, try taking a deep breath and saying a short affirmation: “I am human. I am not going to be perfect and that’s okay.” That small gesture can have a huge impact on your mindset.
2. Don’t “Should” On Yourself
An important lesson I learnt while crafting the more instructive parts of WellBase is not to use the word “should.” It’s a word that implies obligation and drives us to complete things just to get them off our to-do list. Try replacing it with "could" or “get to.” These words allow you to choose when to push yourself and go about work healthily.
3. Unplug
Most high schoolers are attached at the hip to the technology that surrounds us whether that be social media, messaging apps, or video games. We as humans crave connection, and technology feeds that need. However, dealing with all that information can get stressful and tiresome. Most of our learning is done digitally, yes, but that doesn’t mean we have to live completely in a digital world. Try setting aside some time to let yourself focus on something else. This could even help your sleep cycle according to a recent study.
The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown is a great read for those who want to learn more about self-compassion. It's available in the Moran Library for checkout now!
Let’s all resolve to be kinder to ourselves as we stride forward into the final two months of the 2021-22 school year.
