All human beings, including you, experience suffering. It is possible to decrease your suffering in daily life. How upset you are depends not only on what happened but also on how much you want things to be different—an experience that can be expressed in the equation Suffering = Pain x Resistance. Resistance is how much you want things to be different.

Often, however, we resist things as they are and our resistance increases our suffering. So it is wise to update the equation to Suffering = (Pain x Resistance)/ Self-Compassion. This modification reminds us to be gentle with ourselves.

What follows is a brief review of how to practice self-compassion. Self-­compassion is based on the understanding that all human beings, including you, deserve kindness.

According to Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer and respected researcher in the field of self-­compassion, there are three parts to self-­ compassion: developing mindful awareness, acknowledging........

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