#The mindful self compassion workbook full#

This workbook is a wonderful addition to any mindfulness library since it includes guided exercises and meditations to reinforce the skills you'll learn in this book.Īlthough this book just came out and so I obviously haven't yet done the full eight weeks, I've done a similar program from Drs. Germer's book, and have found them to be incredibly useful in developing self-compassion skills. Whether you’ve already done a lot of work in this area, or this is your first exposure to the idea of self-compassion, this book will be an excellent guide, a compassionate friend on your journey.Īs soon as I found out that this workbook would be coming out over five months ago, I eagerly pre-ordered it. I highly recommend this workbook to anyone who wants to become more self-compassionate. There’s no end-point there’s just more practice. The fact is we’re never done with self-compassion practice. I find that each time I approach this material, I approach it a little differently. It stands alone, the exercises are excellent, and while I recognized many of them from the MSC training, it didn’t seem repetitious to do them in this format.

You do not have to have attended the trainings or read any of the previous books to get a lot out of the workbook. The book gives you access to downloadable audio files of some of the exercises. The chapters are short with clear descriptions of what self-compassion is and what it isn’t, as well as many practical exercises: journaling exercises, meditation/mindfulness exercises, and reflections. It is very well written with a reader-friendly layout.

Neff and Germer are experts in the field of self-compassion and have done countless MSC trainings together. I have attended one of these, and this workbook is equally helpful for working on self-critical patterns in yourself and becoming more self-compassionate. Neff and Germer’s joint venture in the form of this workbook, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive, is based on their Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training programs. Both are excellent foundations for understanding why we are self-critical and how self-compassion can help. A few years ago, I read Neff’s book Self-Compassion and also Germer’s book The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion. It has certainly been very helpful to me. (Sorry for the novel-length review but I truly think this is an amazing resource.)ĭo you beat yourself up a lot? Are you harshly self-critical? Then Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer’s new workbook on self-compassion might be the exact book for you. I personally think spending a decent amount of time on the exercises is truly beneficial to individual success. They usually address your true inner feelings that you may have been burying or ignoring (hence the emotion wheel), and they bring it back around to exercises that allow you modify the negative behaviors that you’re been reflecting on to wrap up the chapter. There’s usually a few exercises that end up with you really breaking down how you think/act. At the end of the chapter they have exercises where they have you reflect on certain situations (they prompt you) and write down your thoughts. The chapters are set up by introducing a topic & providing real world examples that are easy to understand. It has not only helped me work on self-compassion, but it has also helped me be more mindful in situations where I’m usually very anxious and start overthinking. This book has been one of the first truly beneficial resources that I have been introduced to. *For reference: I’m a 22 y/o female, have anxiety, depression, and avoidant personality disorder, and have been on antidepressants for years (this is my dad’s account excuse the profile pic). I have only been working through this book for a short period of time, but it has already had a positive impact in my life. I have found that having a copy of an “emotion wheel” and a list of tones (positive, neutral, and negative) on hand has also been helpful in navigating some of the exercises throughout the book. I’ll admit that I’m truly devoting a lot of time to this and accepting it completely, which I have found to be the most beneficial. the compassion (or lack thereof) that I show myself. It has really opened up my eyes to the MAJOR differences in the compassion I show others vs. It has allowed me to understand that self-compassion is NOT selfish and is actually essential to surviving. I haven’t finished it yet, but there were a few life-changing statements in the introduction alone. I got this book at the recommendation of my therapist and boy has it changed my life.

The mindful self compassion workbook