Three ways your mental and physical health will benefit from being kinder to yourself

By Jennifer Donnelly, Doctoral Researcher, Meditation-based Interventions in Clinical Settings, Centre of Positive Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

“Be kind to yourself” is a piece of advice that’s often given to people during difficult times or moments of stress. But for someone who is driven, a perfectionist or facing pressure, the idea of self-compassion can feel uncomfortable. To them, kindness might feel like letting themselves off the hook.

But research actually shows that consistently feeling shame and self-judgment can activate the body’s stress response just as strongly as physical danger. This increases cortisol…

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