# Self-Compassion **Domain:** Psychology / Well-being / Human development **Doc Type:** Canonical concept node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Self-compassion is the practice of responding to one's own difficulty, limitation, or pain with care, honesty, and a commitment to constructive action. ## Mechanism and Significance Inward care can reduce the depletion and resentment produced by endless self-neglect. It preserves the emotional and material capacity from which sustainable generosity can continue. ## Evidence Boundary Self-compassion is not exemption from responsibility. It joins kindness to accurate self-assessment, boundaries, repair, and growth. ## Relationships [[wiki/Generosity|Generosity]] · [[wiki/Self-Awareness|Self-Awareness]] · [[wiki/Relationships|Relationships]] · [[wiki/Self-Knowledge|Self-Knowledge]] ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “Generosity includes generosity toward oneself. People who give endlessly to others while neglecting themselves practice only half of generosity. Full generosity includes the self.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Reclaiming Selfishness, Balance, and the Whole Self, Part 1 - Livestream (Jun 2016)* [[reminders/Self-Compassion/Generosity Must Include the Self by Bryant McGill|Generosity Must Include the Self by Bryant McGill]] > “Self-love shows up as confidence. People who accept themselves carry a warmth that others find beautiful. Treating oneself kindly changes how one is seen.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Letting Go, Selection Bias, and the Life You Learn to See - Livestream (Dec 2015)* [[reminders/Self-Compassion/Self-Love Becomes Visible as Confidence by Bryant McGill|Self-Love Becomes Visible as Confidence by Bryant McGill]] > “Healing one's own heart comes first. Nurturing a wounded heart and protecting one's inner light prepares a person to help others. Collective change begins with personal renewal.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Culture, Social Belonging, and the Environments We Create - Livestream (Jul 2017)* [[reminders/Self-Compassion/Heal Your Own Heart Before Healing the World by Bryant McGill|Heal Your Own Heart Before Healing the World by Bryant McGill]] > “Taking an honest inventory of one's own beautiful qualities is healthy, not boastful. Knowing and appreciating one's own kindness, hope, or creativity makes those qualities easier to protect.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Resolve, Trust, and Holding Space Through Change - Livestream (Jan 2019)* [[reminders/Self-Compassion/Protect the Beautiful Qualities Within You by Bryant McGill|Protect the Beautiful Qualities Within You by Bryant McGill]] > “Sometimes the calling we feel toward the world is really a call toward our own healing. A person who sets out to create peace on a large scale may discover that the deeper work was making peace within their own life, and that the outward mission grows stronger once the inner work begins.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Behind the Scenes With Tara on Healing Ourselves Before Healing the World - Livestream (Aug 2015)* [[reminders/Purpose/Heal Within Before Healing the World by Bryant McGill|Heal Within Before Healing the World by Bryant McGill]] > “Quick self-forgiveness is a success skill. Many accomplished people learn the lesson, absorb it, and keep going. Treating oneself with the same fairness offered to others keeps momentum alive.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Mistakes, Integrity, and the Discipline of Recovery - Livestream (Nov 2015)* [[reminders/Self-Compassion/Quick Self-Forgiveness Keeps Momentum Alive by Bryant McGill|Quick Self-Forgiveness Keeps Momentum Alive by Bryant McGill]]