Self-Compassion Micropractice

High rates of self-compassion are associated with reduced stress, improved mood, increased growth mindset, and enhanced authenticity.  Key components of self-compassion include recognizing our own suffering, understanding that suffering is part of the human experience, and acting to relieve that suffering.  It is self-awareness, non-judgmental acceptance, and an act of self-kindness.

A micropractice is a short intervention we can do on our own when we don’t have time or resources for a longer investment in well-being practices such as meditation or therapy. 

The mental health of young adults has been in decline and more than 60% of college students meet the criteria for at least one mental health problem.  Researchers theorized that a short intervention that can be practiced alone might reduce stress and improve reactions to mistakes or missteps in the academic environment that can involve feeling inadequate, unworthy, or unloved.

Researchers randomly divided 121 undergraduate college students into two groups: the Intervention Group and the Active Control group.  They were told the research was a study of mental well-being.  Each group watched a video on their micropractice and completed a survey after the initial video training and again 1 month later. 

The Active Control group was taught a finger tapping exercise which required they perform a sequence where they touched their thumb to their index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger, and then reversed this pattern.  The Intervention Group was taught to place their right hand over their heart and their left hand over their belly and generate feelings of warmth and kindness toward themselves.  The students were instructed to do their micropractice at least once per day for 20 seconds. 

Researchers found that those students who practiced self-compassion briefly every day for one month increased their self-compassion and reduced their stress levels.  While daily practice showed the greatest impact, those students who practiced somewhat less often still experienced stress reduction and an increase in self-compassion.

Takeaway:  Anxiety, self-doubt, and perfectionism lead to suffering.  A daily self-compassion micropractice can improve self-awareness and reduce stress.  Take a short break each day to place your hands on your heart and belly and reflect with warmth and kindness toward yourself.  Bonus points for taking long deep breaths.  Our brains do so much for us, take a minute each day to shift from doing to being.  You will be calming your fight-or-flight stress response and improving your self-compassion.

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.

The Legal Brain: A Lawyer’s Guide to Well-being and Better Job Performance is available on Amazon.

Source

Eli S. Susman, et al., Daily micropractice can augment single-session interventions: A randomized controlled trial of self-compassionate touch and examining their associations with habit formation in US college students - ScienceDirect, April 2024.

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