International Self-Compassion Day

Saturday, July 19th is International Self-Compassion Day! This is a new celebratory day: it was created in 2024 by the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. We're big believers in self-compassion here at Figg Street Co. and have the pleasure of regularly meeting many others that are, too! 

In many ways, our shop goes hand-in-hand with kindness and personal growth. Our customers demonstrate their generosity and considerate natures by purchasing gifts. In addition, several buy things they use to express themselves creatively, and as tools in their personal journeys of healing, discovering and growing.

What is self-compassion?

Any conversation about self-compassion will generally lead to some mention of Kristin Neff. She says that self-compassion is about giving yourself the same compassion that you'd naturally show a friend when you're struggling or feeling bad about yourself. The three main elements are mindfulness, common humanity and kindness. 

To learn more about self-compassion, click here.

What will you do to practice self-compassion? 

Will you be celebrating self-compassion day this Saturday? A few actions you may wish to consider include:

• meditating (there are several guided self-compassion meditations one can listen to)
• journaling about self-compassion and how you can implement this practice into your daily life
• signing up for 30 days of self-compassion phrases (see our Reverie section)
• joining a practice session on July 19th (see our Reverie section)
• taking some time during the day to do something kind for yourself

While introducing new practices into your life to be more self-compassionate is wonderful, turning this into a new way to be hard on yourself is not. So take it easy. Find one thing that resonates with you and give it a try. Once it's working for you, you may wish to add something else. We each have our own preferences, strengths and areas for growth. Focus on what feels right for you rather than doing something because someone else you know is doing it.

According to positivepsychology.com, the 5 best books on self-compassion are:

• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin Neff
• Handbook for Hard Times: A Monk's Guide to Fearless Living by Gelong Thubten
• The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living by Russ Harris
• Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy: Mindfulness-Based Practices for Healing and Transformation by Tim Desmond
• The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself From Destructive Thoughts and Emotions by Christopher Germer

Perhaps you've read one of these books and would like a bit of structure or guidance in applying what you've learned. Or you find workbooks effective and enjoyable, in general. In which case, here are three recommended self-compassion workbooks:

• The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook (step-by-step guide) by Kristin Neff
• The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook (14-day plan) by Tim Desmond
• The Self-Compassion Workbook (practical exercises) by Joy Johnson

Of course, you may prefer to create your own personal workbook. You can keep a journal alongside you as you read one of the books on self-compassion, watch one of the videos or listen to an interview, and/or attend a related course. 

You may also wish to start something afterward, where you focus on aspects that have the most meaning to you or the greatest opportunities for your personal growth. Something as simple as keeping a notebook in which to jot down a few points each day can make an impact on how positively you view yourself.

We hope this issue has inspired you to be a little gentler and kinder to yourself. Each of us doing so makes it more likely that we'll be gentler and kinder to others, too, since this becomes our default way of being. Imagine we all did this work on ourselves - what a world we could create!