Self-compassion is a healthy way of relating to ourselves. At the same time, it seems to facilitate us to bounce back from the difficulties that arise in our daily lives.
This is the conclusion of research by Yip & Tong (2020) from the University of Singapore. The researchers examined the effect of self-compassion on cognitive processes of attention when participants recall negative information.
In more detail, the researchers asked participants to describe something negative that had happened to them as well as the feelings they felt. By conducting separate studies for each condition, they induced (through relevant tests) feelings of self-compassion, self-esteem and joy to the participants.
Subsequently, using an appropriate test, the cognitive processes of attention related to the management of emotions were examined.
Ιt was found that the feeling of self-compassion contributes significantly and steadily to the quicker and easier disengagement from unpleasant stimuli - which lead to unpleasant feelings - compared to the other conditions examined.
In other words, people who showed self-compassion in unpleasant situations were able to withdraw their attention faster and easier from what caused unpleasant feelings to them.
Based on the above, it is suggested to cultivate self-compassion as part of our mentality and not only as an occasional solution, as it seems to play an important role in regulating emotions, helping us to overcome unpleasant emotions faster.
Yip, V. T., & Tong MW, E. (2021). Self-compassion and attention: self-compassion facilitates disengagement from negative stimuli. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(5), 593-609.