“Unlike self-criticism which asks if you are good enough, self-compassion asks, what is good for you?” Kristen Neff’s quote captures my “before and after” transition through Self-compassion! I started this journey chock full of not enoughs. I did not know enough, I did not work hard enough, and I was not deserving enough. These limiting beliefs led to constant self-sabotage through inner critic questions such as, how can I accept what I do not feel I deserve? The darker it seemed to get, the louder and clearer the voice of my inner critic became, reaffirming and reinforcing beliefs that did not serve me.

I knew that I needed to embrace self-compassion because it would finally allow me to use a process of examination to decide what was good enough for me and if it served me enough. But this process was still being challenged and it would require me quieting the voice of my inner critic enough to allow me to even feel self-compassion. This took unpacking years of self-doubt and self-criticism as well as the willingness to bump up against the origin of these beliefs that no longer served me. These limiting beliefs had actually imprisoned me. There was finally a pathway in sight to help feel and remain free. I found EFT-Tapping to be exactly the self-empowering tool that I needed.

Stage One, Self-acceptance of my Healing Journey was finally giving voice to what I felt, be it disappointment, fear, anger, grief, blame, shame, rejection, or guilt. This step alone felt like a dramatic lightening of my load. When experiencing the power of what came next though self-compassion, my transformation took root. My capacity for consciousness, acceptance and self-compassion grew and soothed my inner-critic. Thank you for joining me on this journey and stay tuned because next, I will share what proved to be my greatest obstacle in incorporating self-compassion into my life’s journey.