Be kind to yourself

Kindness is all around us lately. But how do we be kind to ourselves?

As a cognitive behavioural therapist I see kindness in the people I work with and support every day

by Beth Marr, cognitive behavioural therapist

Kindness is everywhere at present. We hear stories about acts of kindness on the news, be it frontline staff putting their lives on the line to protect sufferers, or people delivering food and goods to neighbours in need. We see it in the pictures of rainbows on windows, a warm and comforting image depicting hope through the scrawl of a child’s crayon. We can even wear it courtesy of the numerous t-shirts available bearing slogans such as ‘Be kind’ and ‘Keep talking’.

As a cognitive behavioural therapist, much of my working day is spent in the company of people’s hopes and fears. I get to know who they feel they are, who they would like to be, but something that is very often missing is kindness.

I hear of loved ones, I hear of the people who have become their second heartbeat in a way, helping them to breathe through life’s darkest moments, but when we come to look at their own self-image, the words on my notepad take a decidedly harsher tone. ‘Useless’, ‘embarrassment’, ‘ugly’, ‘inadequate’. These words pepper the pages with a sense of resignation – as much a part of the individual’s identity as the blood that flows through their veins.

Read the full article on the We Are With You Blog.


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