Mindful Self-Compassion

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

Mindfulness is simply about being in the present moment. After all, we spend so much of our time not being truly aware of what's happening right now, especially in this fast-paced world that we live in.We may find that we are living in the future,with worry or fearful thoughts, or perhaps inthe past, playing overevents in our minds. We can benefit from the practice of mindfulness to help us manage our day-to-day thoughts and the challenges of being a SAS doctor in the NHS.

Cultivating self-compassion in this way can fundamentally shift how we relate to ourselves. Instead of meeting our imperfections and challenges with self-blame and -criticism, we can bring a kind and mindful attention to our experiences (thoughts, emotions, and sensations) and a sense of love and care to ourselves, right in the midst of difficult situations.

With practice, we can strengthen this inner quality of presence, connectedness, and kindness to improve emotional well-being and build resilience.