Hello,
My friend.
Welcome to your five minute self-compassion break.
Find a comfortable seat,
Settle in,
And join me in taking a deep breath in through your nose and let it go slowly out of your mouth.
Let's do that one more time.
Inhale and exhale.
Good,
Continue to breathe and bring something to mind that's been weighing on you lately.
Maybe a mistake you made,
An awkward conversation,
A moment of self-doubt,
Or something that made you think,
I should have handled that better.
You don't need to dive into the story,
Just let yourself feel the discomfort for a moment.
The tightness in your chest,
The heaviness in your stomach.
Notice where it lives in your body.
And now silently acknowledge to yourself,
This is a moment of struggle.
That's the first step.
Simply naming it.
Because in leadership and in life,
We're so quick to move on,
To fix,
To analyze,
To tough it out.
But compassion begins with presence.
So pause here.
You're human,
You're allowed to have difficult moments.
Now place a hand on your heart or wherever you feel tension.
Take a slow breath into that space and silently remind yourself,
I'm not alone in this.
Everyone has moments of doubt.
Everyone falls short.
This feeling doesn't make you weak,
It makes you human.
Let your body soften just a little with that truth.
Now take another breath in,
And as you exhale,
Gently say to yourself,
Or out loud if you'd like,
May I give myself the compassion I need right now?
If that feels too big,
Try,
May I give myself a little kindness in this moment?
Or may I treat myself the way I'd treat someone I care about?
Let the words land softly.
You don't have to believe them completely yet.
Just let them be an invitation.
Keep breathing gently.
Feel your hand on your heart,
Steady and warm.
Imagine that warmth spreading through your body,
Through your shoulders,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Down into your legs and feet.
This is what compassion can feel like.
Not fixing,
Not performing,
Just allowing yourself to be human.
Take another deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Imagine releasing any self-criticism with your breath.
Let it drift out of your body like steam.
I invite you to whisper one final phrase to yourself.
I'm doing the best I can,
And that is enough for today.
Take a few quiet moments here to simply breathe.
When you're ready,
Start to bring your awareness back into the space around you.
Gently wiggle your fingers and toes.
Take one more steady breath in and out.
Carry this softness with you into whatever comes next.
You don't need to earn your own kindness.
You already deserve it.
Thank you for taking five minutes for this self-compassion break with me.
I'll see you next time.
