Compassion means to have sympathy for other people and yourself. It’s also known as sensitivity, concern and kindness. Though most people do feel compassion for others, in today’s harried world, that compassion can quickly dissolve into impatience, anger and a judgmental attitude.
The person that most people struggle to have compassion for is the one that looks back at them in the mirror. This is one reason that some people struggle with feeling enough compassion for others.
You can’t give what you don’t have to share. When you practice mindfulness, you’ll be able to feel more compassion for yourself and for others. This means that when you interact with other people, you’ll do it in a focused manner, really paying attention to what they’re saying.
You’ll be fully engaged in the conversation and able to focus on what them without allowing your mind to be somewhere else. Compassion is something that can grow if it’s nurtured.
It takes practice through mindful exercises to listen purposefully, to communicate and truly hear the answers of the other person. When you practice mindful compassion, it lets the other person know that you care about him or her.
As a result of this, you’ll discover that your relationships, both personal and professional ones, will improve. Mindfulness can show you how to be open to the experiences and the heartaches as well as the joy of other people.
It allows you, through compassion, to walk a mile in the other person’s shoes. There are benefits to using mindfulness to increase your compassion. People who are compassionate experience less stress than people who have little or no compassion.
Mindfulness also helps to foster positive emotions over negative ones which fuels a greater compassion. When a person is filled with negative thoughts and emotions, it can be difficult to be compassionate toward others.
By being mindful, you can focus on the positive emotion and release the negative. Every time you practice mindful compassion, the amount of compassion that you have will grow.
You’ll be able to be more relaxed too and whenever something happens that can be frustrating, because you’ll have more compassion, it will help you respond in a kinder manner.
Mindfulness can help you take the first step toward developing a deeper well of compassion, too – because it will help you to be aware of the present emotions you experience.
During mindful exercises, you’ll learn how to give yourself kindness even when aware of thoughts and feelings that aren’t so kind. When you learn self compassion, your compassion toward others can’t help but grow.
