Farewell, January (almost)
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We're almost the end of January. Let us all pat ourselves on the back for getting through it! I vote that January should be designated the Month of Self-Compassion, rather than one where we're meant to somehow suddenly and miraculously, transform ourselves. Self-compassion - we cut ourselves some slack, quit self-blaming, stop being our own worst critic and simply accept ourselves, faults and all. There has been a lot of research that shows the enormous benefits of compassion. Here are just some of the findings: Reduction in anxiety, depression and stress; increased pain threshold Higher levels of emotional intelligence Nurtures non-negative thinking Greater social connectedness and depth of relationships with others - recognition of a shared humanity An increase in oxytocin and endorphins levels, which reduce the alarm systems in our brain Decreased heart-rate and blood pressure Amazing! So let's work to quiet our inner-critic. Imagine introducing your Compassio...