Create Space for Self-Compassion

(gentle upbeat music) Headspace Studios. (soft music) Hi, everyone, it's Rosie. Welcome to "Radio Headspace" and to Monday. So if you've been listening to my episodes, you may have noticed a running theme. We've talked about self-love, self-acceptance, self-forgiveness, and all of those roads lead back to self-compassion in some way. Simply put, I believe it's the root of happiness. So this week, we're bringing things full circle and talking about different ways that self-compassion can enhance our lives. So let's expand on that idea today and talk about unpacking self-compassion in a world that often values perfection over authenticity. I wanna take you back to the early days of my first podcast. I believe that having a perfectly edited podcast would mean that I was good enough to compete with the content that was already circling the airwaves. There were times when I was so hard on myself. I was almost ready to quit. In fact, I did take a few breaks and during one of those breaks eight years ago, I came to a realization about perfection. It's not the most important thing. We can get so caught up in checkpoints of perfection, like achievements, likes, follows, external forms of validation. We try to get rid of our so-called flaws in lieu of an unattainable idea of what we should be doing. But what if we embrace the parts that make us human? What if we let our true selves shine? These questions came to light for me during one of my almost quitting breaks when I went to tea with a dear friend and fellow podcaster. During our conversation, I poured my heart out about my struggles and insecurities. He listened attentively and said something that really struck a chord. "Rosie, do you remember why you started this show? "It was because you have a unique voice "and message the world needs to hear. "Don't let the fear "of imperfection overshadow your authenticity." Those words resonate with me to this day. They reminded me that self-compassion is not about striving for perfection, but about embracing our flaws and honoring our journey. From that day forward, I made a commitment to practice self-compassion, not only on my podcasting journey, but on any journey I take. Instead of beating myself up over mistakes, I chose to approach them with kindness and curiosity. I also began to shift my focus from external validation to the intrinsic value of my content. And that's a tip for you too. It's difficult to self-validate when we are constantly looking for others' approval. But when we can find our inherent value, it allows us to focus more on what we bring to the table, so we're not concerned about what others think. I did this by reminding myself of the meaningful conversations I had during interviews, the connections I made with listeners and the positive impact my words could have on someone's life. I began to realize that the only way to grow was...