How do you know if you're making progress in self-compassion and confidence?

The best way to know you are making progress in being kinder to yourself is when you start becoming more self aware!!! Self awareness increases your understanding of your feelings and emotions and you begin to embrace those! You start embracing things that may not be comfortable being fully aware that it’s okay to be not okay. You start to forgive yourself and not beat yourself up when things don’t go your way! Last but not the least you start taking action instead of aiming perfection ??

We all have been told & taught to be kind to others but no one teaches you to be kind to yourself. Learning to be kind to yourself should be where we all should start. The more you learn about yourself , your mistakes, difficulties. You'll notice how to behave with yourself in such moments. This will be the best insight you can get about yourself when you are working on yourself.

First of all if you have started this self compassion process is a great choice! I believe that every little step in this self loving journey has to be celebrated. Every day is a celebration day because you start noticing little shifts in your mindset and attitude. You start enjoying yourself more and especially little things in life: a hug, a smile, a flower, a clear sky. you start to prioritize yourself more, to pay more attention to your needs and also start to spend quality time with yourself, enjoying more your own presence. Little shifts in every day life are normal steps in this self healing process.

The language that we use for ourselves changes, and we start to become appreciative of the effort we have put in. Of course, there will be opportunities for growth from the setbacks, but instead of labelling ourselves as a failure, we start to acknowledge our efforts first and then create a plan to tackle the steps.

You will know that you are making progress with your self-confidence and self-compassion when you stop beating yourself when things don't go perfectly. When you have empathy and compassion for yourself. When you don't make setbacks mean something about you as a person. When you can shift into a growth mindset and get yourself gently back on track when things feel stuck or derailed. You will also be able to articulate your strengths and achievements without feeling like you need to diminish them or feeling like you are over-confident if you say what you are brilliant at! You will speak up more and feel true to yourself.

It's incredible how much easier it becomes to navigate through life's inevitable challenges when you have a compassionate inner dialogue. Instead of being consumed by setbacks, learn to see them as opportunities for growth and learning. It's not about avoiding difficulties but facing them head-on with kindness towards ourselves.

Self-compassion is treating yourself with kindness. This is something that only comes naturally to a few of us. For many of us, it needs deliberate practice. We are very critical of ourselves, and given the negative bias in our heads, we tend to use very harsh words for ourselves. This makes getting over any failure very hard. But instead, if we acknowledge and celebrate ourselves for showing up in the arena, and reframe the outcome of the showing up as a learning opportunity, it becomes easier to show up the next time. Over time, this helps in building evidence and the muscles needed.

Resilience is showing up in the arena even after a setback. If our friend had a setback, we would be compassionate to our friend, help her analyse the situation, gather the learnings and help her go back to the area. When we treat ourselves the same way, we know we are making progress in self-compassion. Since the setbacks have been relabelled as a learning opportunity, we no longer become afraid of those setbacks.

You can see or feel yourself dealing better with challenging situations. It can help you acknowledge how you are feeling in the moment and yet moving ahead with what you intend to do. Keeping a regular journal helps a lot as it helps to look back and see how you were feeling weeks or months ago. As you realise how far you have come, you start training your mind to correlate reality with how you feel in the body.

Self-compassion and self-confidence create a positive feedback loop but the root always comes down to knowing yourself on a deep level such that you are at peace with your strengths and weaknesses, you understand your emotions and needs, and ultimately become someone who is self-validating. When you become self-validating, you no longer need reassurance from external sources that you are worthy or good enough. As a result, a sure sign that you're becoming more self-compassionate and confident is that you have the mental tools to go for what you want.

Holding opposite viewpoints and being comfortable with the polarity is a great sign that you are operating from a place of compassion. Being able to see the other person not as right or wrong but different, is a sign that you have developed empathy for the other person.

Be kind to others. Being kind to others helps you feel good about yourself too. It reminds you that everyone deserves kindness, including yourself. So, when you're nice to others, you're also being kind to yourself.

In order to be compassionate, we need to be able to put our egos aside to truly look at a situation through another lens and accept that someone else's perception is valid regardless of whether or not it aligns with what we believe. A truly confident person is able to put their ego aside and choose connection over being right.

Practicing self-compassion not only nurtures our own well-being but also serves as a foundation for fostering compassion towards others. When we extend kindness and understanding to ourselves, we naturally develop a deeper empathy and sensitivity towards the experiences of those around us. This heightened awareness allows us to engage with others in a more authentic and meaningful way.

When we treat ourselves with kindness and understanding, we create a nurturing internal environment that fosters positivity and optimism. This positive outlook extends beyond our mental state, impacting our physical health as well. By cultivating self-compassion and confidence, we empower ourselves to better manage stress, boost our energy levels, and fortify our immune system, leading to greater vitality and resilience.

Feelings of contentment, improved relationships, and a more positive outlook on life. Paying more attention to your self-talk, as positive affirmations can indicate growing confidence. Being more understanding and empathetic towards others is a sign of developing compassion. Trying to practice mindfulness and I have started journaling and noting my opinions and feelings on paper. Spending more time on what you love to do. This makes you feel lighter at the end of the day.

It's amazing how intertwined our physical, emotional, and mental health can be! Practicing mindfulness meditation (such as Vipassana) positively impacts the function of the brain even to the point of mimicking the effects of Ketamine on a bipolar depression patient's brain. Improving their mental health, emotional health, and setting them up for better physical health!

For anything to improve it must be tracked. When it comes to less tangible concepts like confidence and self-compassion, regular structured reflection is the best way to identify patterns, to systematically adjust behaviours and to recognize changes within ourselves. I personally do a weekly 'Sunday Review' where I reflect on the previous week, what happened and I how showed up in the various areas of my life. This practice has drastically improved my ability to live intentionally, find opportunities to change my beliefs, attitudes and behaviors and make incremental improvements in my life week over week.

Journaling is an excellent way for you to track your progress in self-compassion. Journaling helps you keep track of how kind you are to yourself. It lets you see your progress and notice areas where you can improve. By writing regularly, you become more aware of your feelings and thoughts, which helps you be nicer to yourself over time.

The way you feel is a good indication of your progress in self-compassion. Be kind to yourself. Look how far you have come and celebrate your successes.