Self-Compassion or Self-Pity?
Jamie Lynn Tatera explains how self-compassion differs from self-pity and explores the role of common humanity in meeting struggle.
By Jamie Lynn Tatera
Published
If I’m self-compassionate, does that mean I feel sorry for myself?It’s a common fear that self-compassion will lead to self-pity (for ourselves or our kids). What differentiates self-compassion from self-pity? And what makes one resilience boosting and the other resilience depleting? It’s easier to understand self-compassion/self-pity within the context of compassion/pity in general.An Example of Pity and CompassionIf I see someone homeless on the street who looks cold, and I think, “Wow! That person is having a bad life. I’m glad that’s not me!!” I will experience the emotion of pity. They are suffering, and they are different from me. Even if I try to help, it will come from a place of pi…