Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat

Dr. Kristin Neff - The Yin and Yang of Self-Compassion

October 01, 2020 Mo Gawdat and Dr. Kristin Neff Episode 48
Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat
Dr. Kristin Neff - The Yin and Yang of Self-Compassion
Show Notes

In this episode, I speak with Dr Kristin Neff, a pioneer and one of the world’s leading experts in the field of self-compassion. I'm still finding myself going over her words days after this was recorded, realizing slowly but surely that she blew my mind. If you ever feel that you're too hard on yourself, I assure you that you're in the right place.

Kristin was the first academic to operationally define and measure the concept of self-compassion over a decade ago. During Kristin’s last year of graduate school she became interested in Buddhism and has been practicing Insight Meditation ever since. This led her to conduct research on self-compassion, a central part of Buddhist psychology and one that had not yet been examined empirically. She is the author of the classic book, Self-Compassion.

Listen as we discuss:

  • The failures of self-esteem, and the freedom of embracing self-compassion instead
  • Not needing to "better" in anyway in order to be deserving of self-love
  • Kristin's story through academia, divorce, meditation and self-compassion
  • Why she transitioned from studying self-esteem to studying self-compassion
  • Loving yourself just because you're a flawed human being
  • How consumer driven society plays to our insecurities
  • How we know compassion is the best parenting style, yet don't apply it to ourselves
  • Fight-or-flight, and how we can actually attack ourselves to feel safe again
  • Our innate tendency to scold ourselves, with Kristin's son as a case study
  • Defining compassion vs. self-compassion
  • The three elements of self-compassion
  • Practical advice on how to actually be kind to yourself
  • The Yin-Yang of Self Compassion
  • How self-compassion translates to motivation 
  • A discussion on self-compassion as it relates to men and women
  • Anger as an act of self projected love

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Connect with Dr. Kristin Neff on Facebook @selfcompassion, on Twitter @self_compassion, and her website self-compassion.org

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Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy