Own Your Fierce

The world needs your strength!

Question: Which of the following is an act of compassion: 1) Soothing someone who has been injured; 2) Setting a boundary to prevent further injury; or 3) Taking action that aligns with your values?

The answer is that all three are acts of compassion. The first example is tender, and the other two involve fierce compassion.

I was watching the debate last night, and I was reminded of how much the world needs people (especially women) who can fully own fierce compassion. The world needs each of us to complement our tenderness with caring force.

In my work with children, I use the character (Super) Snuggles to teach about the two sides of kindness: strong and gentle. This page from volume 1 of the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids shows examples of tender and fierce self-compassion phrases. Notice how some phrases can be either gentle or strong, depending on how you say them. Can you identify some phrases that you would like to hear when things go wrong?

Kids sometimes ask whether Snuggles and Super Snuggles are two different characters, or the same character. The “Kids Team” made this playful 1-minute video to help us understand that kindness is kindness, whether it is gentle or strong.

I encourage everyone, including you, to learn to treat yourself with both tender acceptance and strong support. Growing your own self-compassion can provide a foundation for empowering and comforting others.

Next week I will offer a host of self-compassion-related classes, including Fierce Self-Compassion, Mindful Self-Compassion, Compassionate Parenting, and Parent-Child Mindfulness and Self-Compassion. Taking a class on your own or with your child can do wonders for increasing both tender and strong internal support (as well as the parent-child bond!).

If you are interested in learning to teach self-compassion to children (or learning more about the parent-child course), I am offering an intro session tomorrow. The free intro session includes information about the parent-child class as well as details about the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Children and Caregivers (MSC-CC) teacher training pathway.

Remember, your own self-kindness provides a foundation for supporting youth. The world needs both your tender support and your caring strength, as do you!

With love,

Jamie Lynn