A new animated Church video released on Tuesday, August 4, explores the important and timely topic of practicing self-compassion. The playful animation style makes the video especially approachable for children, but the message is meaningful for all ages.
“We think being critical of ourselves will push us to do better, so instead of slowing down and taking care of ourselves when we experience something hard, we speed up,” the video says.
The video then calls out how unhealthy that mindset is by utilizing a quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Hollandof the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “As children of God, we should not demean or vilify ourselves, as if beating up on ourselves is somehow going to make us the person God wants us to become.”
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Instead of being self-critical, the video suggests introducing self-compassion into our daily lives. Tips for doing so include intentionally being gentle to yourself in your thoughts, choosing to comfort and uplift yourself the way you would others. Additionally, recognizing that pain and failure are part of the shared human experience is necessary to exercise self-compassion.
Watch the full video to learn more about implementing self-compassion into your own life. You can also find other video resources below about compassion and learning to love yourself.
