Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network 

Show Name: Find Your Kind

Episode #7: “The Art of Self Love”

“Hello and welcome back! You are listening to Find Your Kind the podcast with your host Delaney Janks. You’re currently listening to this podcast on the Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network where students come together to publish content to share with the world. Please note that the opinions expressed in this episode are mine, and mine alone. In this episode, “The Art of Self Love”, my goal is to talk about how we can begin the journey of being kinder to ourselves by shifting our mindset to one of self-compassion, and forgiveness.

Segment 1: Importance

1. Previous episodes focused on kindness in all other aspects but towards ourselves; I want to change that.
2. Derived from Buddhist psychology, self-compassion entails treating yourself with kindness and care like we would treat a dear friend.
3. Self-kindness can vary from taking a self-care day to acting in a kind and understanding way towards yourself.
4. Sometimes we get so caught up in being kind to others, that we forget the importance of being kind to ourselves as well. 
5. It's hard to forgive yourself for your own mistakes, disappointments, etc, but perhaps because we were never taught how to.

Segment 2: What You Can Do

1. Being kinder to ourselves may require a little effort and time on our part.
2. We can apply techniques such as self-reflection, self-care, appreciating simple joys and even journaling to our daily lives to remind us to be kind to ourselves.
3. Others ways to practice self-kindness:
4. Self-compassion letter
5. Write a self-compassionate letter where you identify something about yourself that makes you feel ashamed, insecure, or not good enough. Then, express understanding, acceptance, and compassion for that part of yourself that you dislike. 
6. Read the letter later.
7. Take care of your physical health
8. When we’re feeling down, our bodies tend to hang on to all of that pent-up energy and emotion. 
9. A great way to clear that energy is through physical exercise.
10. Have a “Self-Care Day”
11. Draw yourself a bath, cook your favorite food, or choose to stay in for a movie night.
12. You can also buy yourself flowers—There is a great power in treating yourself in the same manner as you would treat someone you loved. 
13. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserved your own love and affection.”
14. Don’t be afraid to talk about your feelings
15. There is no shame in asking for help, which is why when it comes to emotional and mental health, seeking out professional help is a major win and a great way to be kind to yourself. 
16. Try Meditation
17. Trying mediation is also a wonderful practice of tuning into your mental state teaching yourself how to be self-compassionate.
18. Stop Tolerating What/Who Doesn’t Serve You Well
19. Sometimes practicing self-kindness is about cutting the cords of what no longer brings you joy in life. This can be a routine, an idea, or a person. It’s okay to talk away from something that brings you down.

Segment 3: Wrap Up

1. Benefits of self-compassion 
2. Greater life satisfaction, motivation, better relationships and physical health, and less anxiety and depression.
3. Gain a sense of resilience that helps you cope with stressful life events. 
4. When practicing self-kindness, we release Oxytocin, a feel-good hormone that reduces feelings of adrenaline, stress, and anxiety.
5. Many people fear self-compassion is really just a form of self-pity. However, self-compassion is actually an antidote to self-pity.
6. Research shows that self-compassionate people are more likely to engage in perspective taking and less likely to think about how bad things are, which is one of the reasons self-compassionate people have better mental health. 
7. Quote by Ruth Fishel: “It is a beautiful experience being with ourselves at a level of complete acceptance. When that begins to happen, when you give up resistance and needing to be perfect, a peace will come over you as you have never known.” 

Music Credits: 

• Creek Whistle by Steve Adams
• Reasons to Hope by Reed Mathis
• Tropic by Anno Domini Beats

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