Just where you are—that’s the place to start.”
― Pema Chödrön
Use the Self-Compassion Scale, journaling, and/or images to explore the role that self-compassion plays in your life at this time.
- Your journal
- (visual option) Your choice of image-making materials. You could choose to print photos from your camera, pull images from a magazine, or create images from paints or markers.
As you may be aware, as part of the Self-Compassion Scale, there are three continuums and an overall score:
Journal your responses to the following:
- “What does self compassion mean to me?”
- Do you have your own barometers of how self-compassionate you are being? What are they?
- What are three ways in which:
- You are kind to yourself?
- Common humanity is reflected in your life?
- Mindfulness brings you joy, delight, or pleasure?
You may end the exercise there, OR, if you’d like to experiment visually, some ideas and examples are listed below. Once finished, you could place your creation on a cupboard or wall to remind you to call on your supportive practices.
Reflection:
When you are finished, note what happened as you worked with this first Creative Invitation. What came up for you? Were you surprised by any of the sensations, words, symbols, or emotions that emerged? If your inner critic paid you a visit as you made this first piece, how did you receive him/her?
Finally, if you care to share a bit about your experience with the rest of the group, please feel free to do so on the discussion board. Always returning to the intention of the Creative Invitations, which is to be mindful of your experience and be tender with yourself during the process of creating.
Visual ideas and inspiration: Collage or tryptic:
You might like to try creating a collage of images cut out from a magazine or from photos you’ve printed out. You may also enjoy creating a a tryptic, which is an assemblage of three interrelated, but separate images. One panel could represent Self-Kindness/Self-Judgement, a second panel could represent Common Humanity/Isolation, and the third could represent Mindfulness/Over-Identification. Feel free to be as playful as you wish, and use the following examples to inspire your own creation.
