The term “Compassion” refers to the attitude of being kind, benevolent, and understanding towards oneself and others.
This attitude is often not easy to put into practice. Indeed, we are often driven by our strong tendency to criticize ourselves and judge others, resulting in increased suffering, stress, and negative emotions, which hinder productivity and personal growth.
Developing loving-kindness and compassion means being open to one’s own and others’ suffering, without trying to avoid it or disconnect from it, allowing a feeling of understanding, kindness, and desire to alleviate and care for it to emerge.
Experimental evidence shows that specific training aimed at developing loving-kindness and compassion decreases self-criticism, shame, anxiety, and improves stress response (Pace, Negi and Adame, 2008; Gilbert and Procter, 2006).
Cultivating compassion allows one to observe one’s own and others’ mistakes and weaknesses with awareness and understanding, allowing them to be seen in the context of human fallibility, and to use them to enhance abilities and resources.
