How to be Compassionate Towards Oneself and Others, Tips

How to be more compassionate

We all want to be the best version of ourselves. However, this awareness could be lost in the business of everyday life. All of us have experienced moments when we wished we could have been more patient, compassionate and kind. If only we hadn’t snapped back at our colleague, lost our cool over a small squabble, or been more understanding at a friend’s stress. If compassion is about being more aware, how to be more compassionate?

Compassion, a quality of a peaceful and a calm mind, is further nurtured by spending a few minutes in meditation every day. A few minutes of deep rest happens through meditation, and that can keep us going for the whole day.

Meditation brings us back in that space of unconditional love. Meditating daily helps us get rid of unwanted baggage of stress, anxiety, and depression. We start loving ourselves the way we are, without any judgments. The way to being compassionate starts with me.

Compassion starts with me

First things first. Be kind to yourself. How often do you say to yourself, "I love the way I am"? How often do you forgive yourself for your mistakes and not feel guilty? How often do you love being in your own company?

Self-compassion means fully accepting ourselves the way we are, being patient with ourselves and being our own best buddy. However, the ability to do this comes when our mind is calm and is at rest. A peaceful mind is not stuck in the unknown sphere of how to be compassionate but is calm and restful due to meditation.

Tips to be compassionate towards oneself

#1 If you have made some mistake, forgive yourself, learn from it and move on. Remember not to be too hard on yourself.

#2 If you do not like something about yourself and you feel you need to change it, do that without putting yourself down. Give yourself some time to improve.

#3 If someone criticizes you, take it in your stride. If that criticism holds true, use it. Else, forget what they said. It is no good holding on to such things.

Compassion towards others

Have you forgiven somebody for their mistake without making it obvious? Have you helped somebody without selfish motives? Have you constructively criticized someone without blaming them?

Compassion is another way of saying "I care for you unconditionally." Unconditional caring is not demanding; it focuses more on giving without any expectation of getting something in return. How can we develop that kind of compassion for others?

Tips to be compassionate towards others

#1 Small gestures can convey compassion. Sometimes just a few small deeds can bring a smile to someone's face.

#2 Forgive people for their mistakes. It's important however to make them aware of their mistakes.

#3 Be kind to everyone.

Are you longing to discover that subtle space of sharing love and being loved? Experience a very profound yet simple meditation technique called the Sahaj Samadhi Meditation through a program near you and feel compassion for oneself and others.

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Author: Ravisha Kathuria

Ravisha Kathuria, a passionate writer, has just begun dabbling in the world of words. Through her articles, she conveys the beauty of the ancient knowledge of meditation in its simplest form that are easy takeaways for the readers.

The author has written this article based on meditation inputs by Bharathy Harish, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation Teacher.