Being a young person is hard – there is a LOT to deal with in adolescence. As you move through your teenage years, life changes on so many levels. The way you look, how you dress, your friends, what you’re interested in, your favourite subjects at school – all of these things can change in the short and long term.

When we are hard on ourselves about these things, set impossibly high standards that we can never reach or beat ourselves up about our failures, it can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.

Having self-compassion means that you are better able to accept and appreciate what’s happening in your life, and have a smoother ride through the storm of change. It is good for you – and it feels good too!

If you picture your Inner Critic sitting on one shoulder, it would be the one saying mean things like “You should have tried harder” or “You’re so bad at that”. Now picture your Inner Cheerleader on the other shoulder – that’s the one that would say “You did your best” and “There are so many other things you are good at”. Being kind to ourselves means that we turn down the volume on our Inner Critic, or stop them from speaking up so much.

When we listen to our Inner Cheerleader more and more, it starts to become automatic – we begin to respond to ourselves with kindness and compassion. We learn how best to soothe ourselves when we are faced with failures or compare ourselves to others. Researchers around the world have found that the people who are kindest to themselves report all sorts of benefits like better sleep, improved physical health, and less stress, anxiety and depression. Oh, and being kind to yourself can improve the way you feel about your body too!