Imagine if there was one simple thing you could do to lower your risk of illness, reduce stress and increase your ability to eat healthy foods and exercise…

It might sound cliché, but learning to love yourself can have a real impact on both your physical and mental wellbeing. Ask yourself and answer honestly: What do I say to myself on a daily basis? What tone do I use when I talk about myself?

Many of us are familiar with the overall concept of compassion – defined as “a basic drive towards kindness and concern for the wellbeing of others.” While most of us find it natural to offer words of encouragement and understanding to our children, a spouse, a friend, or a co-worker, it can be surprisingly difficult to do the same for ourselves. Learning to adopt self-compassion could be as simple as practising these three simple things:

1. Mindfulness — Practising mindfulness helps us stay in tune with our current surroundings and situations. The reality is most of us usually turn to self-criticism and judgement when we make a mistake. Mindfulness helps to bring awareness to these patterns so we can begin to change them.

2. Self-kindness — The self-kindness branch of self-compassion means making regular self-care an absolute priority. This in-turn will extend an overall attitude of understanding, caring, tenderness, and patience towards oneself.

3. Collective compassion —Having an awareness of the thoughts and feelings of others around us can contribute to more positive communication skills and relationships.