Letting go of self-criticism and making friends with ourselves makes us happier, more resilient, and kinder. Here is a collection of essential videos, books, and websites to help take that step.
Photo by Mayur Gala.
Videos
“Pema Chödrön explains Maitri”
“The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion: Kristin Neff at TEDxCentennialParkWomen”
Books & Audio
How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind, by Pema Chödrön (Sounds True)
Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha, by Tara Brach (Bantam)
Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind, by Kristin Neff (HarperCollins)
The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions, by Christopher Germer (The Guilford Press)
Loving-kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, by Sharon Salzberg (Shambhala)
Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness, by Chögyam Trungpa (Shambhala)
Uncovering Happiness: Overcoming Depression with Mindfulness and Self-Compassion, by Elisha Goldstein (Atria Books)
Self-Compassion Step by Step: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, by Kristin Neff (Sounds True CD)
Websites
Self-compassion.org: All-in-one resource for how to practice self-compassion.
Greater Good in Action: Science-based practices for a meaningful life, including a number of self-compassion exercises.
Center for Mindful Self-Compassion: Tools for those who wish to practice or teach Mindful Self-Compassion.
On LionsRoar.com
Kristin Neff has a three-step meditation to foster self-compassion that you can do at any point during your day.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche explains that, instead of being defensive, we can base our lives on basic goodness.
Toni Bernhard offers a mindfulness exercise to bring compassion to feelings of loneliness.
Look through our section on “Wisdom for Difficult Times” for a deep well of resources on working with suffering.
