Self-Compassion and the Art of Overcoming One's Inner Critic

“If you don't love yourself, you cannot love others”. This is the ultimate truth. If one is not able to accept oneself with all the flaws and qualities that one possess, then there's no guarantee that he/she can accept the other person without being judgmental. What is needed is a positive attitude and self-understanding toward oneself, most importantly self-compassion. Basically being gentle, kind and understanding with oneself. Accepting that one is not perfect and that there is potential for learning and growth in every mistake one makes (Neff, 2003). Self-compassion has been shown to be positively related to psychological health and well-being. This paper is an attempt to show how one can use self-compassion to overcome one's inner critic and enhance well-being.