Compassion for self and others is one of the most helpful life skills to develop and nurture all of our lives. It is the greatest threat to judgment. Judgment is surrounded by cruel winds and it seems to slip into some of the smallest crevices in our minds. Judgment always has a lot to say to you about your struggle with pulmonary hypertension. For instance: You will never be able to cope. You can’t …….. You are a loser; you never get it right. You are not fighting hard enough; if you did then you wouldn’t have so many symptoms. You shouldn’t have negative feelings. You are weak to cry. Judgment also has a lot to say about others in our lives: They don’t really care about you; if they did they would do more for you. They don’t understand what you are going through and never will. They are tired of you complaining all the time. They think you are faking your symptoms. Everybody knows you are using pulmonary hypertension to get more attention. They should be able to help you more with your struggle. Judgment’s list is endless and it comes out with its mean-spirited ideas when we are feeling low and vulnerable; that way it can have the most impact. The most powerful way to counter judgment is to develop our compassionate self. Our compassionate self is intent on honouring our efforts and the efforts of others around us. It knows that the struggle for all human beings is immense and that we are all worthy of compassion. Our compassionate self reminds us: I am doing the best I can. I am a resilient human being and I will learn over time to adapt to my challenging life circumstances. It is understandable that I would feel a range of challenging feelings, sometimes every day. Struggling with pulmonary hypertension represents an immense emotional and physical load. Some days the grief, loss, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and fear are unbearable. It makes sense that some days I feel buried by the illness and all I can focus on is surviving the day. My loved ones are trying hard to cope. They are also experiencing loss and grief and their lives are also going through tremendous change. I can show self-love by practicing self-care and boosting myself with those actions that make me feel selfnurtured. I am strong, and I am coping well considering my circumstances. If there is an unhealthy aspect to my life I have control over, I can make the necessary changes when I feel able. I can let others know what would be helpful to me in terms of support and also let others know my feelings along the way. When we are compassionate to ourselves and others, our heart expands. We develop our capacity for kindness, we understand all human beings a little more. Also by honouring ourselves we are naturally more honouring of others. Compassion is medicine that is able to penetrate to the depths of our soul and offer immense healing.
Compassion for self and others is one of the most helpful life skills to develop and nurture all of our lives. It is the greatest threat to judgment. Judgment is surrounded by cruel winds and it seems to slip into some of the smallest crevices in our minds. Judgment always has a lot to say to you about your struggle with pulmonary hypertension. For instance: You will never be able to cope. You can’t …….. You are a loser; you never get it right. You are not fighting hard enough; if you did then you wouldn’t have so many symptoms. You shouldn’t have negative feelings. You are weak to cry. Judgment also has a lot to say about others in our lives: They don’t really care about you; if they did they would do more for you. They don’t understand what you are going through and never will. They are tired of you complaining all the time. They think you are faking your symptoms. Everybody knows you are using pulmonary hypertension to get more attention. They should be able to help you more with your struggle. Judgment’s list is endless and it comes out with its mean-spirited ideas when we are feeling low and vulnerable; that way it can have the most impact. The most powerful way to counter judgment is to develop our compassionate self. Our compassionate self is intent on honouring our efforts and the efforts of others around us. It knows that the struggle for all human beings is immense and that we are all worthy of compassion. Our compassionate self reminds us: I am doing the best I can. I am a resilient human being and I will learn over time to adapt to my challenging life circumstances. It is understandable that I would feel a range of challenging feelings, sometimes every day. Struggling with pulmonary hypertension represents an immense emotional and physical load. Some days the grief, loss, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and fear are unbearable. It makes sense that some days I feel buried by the illness and all I can focus on is surviving the day. My loved ones are trying hard to cope. They are also experiencing loss and grief and their lives are also going through tremendous change. I can show self-love by practicing self-care and boosting myself with those actions that make me feel selfnurtured. I am strong, and I am coping well considering my circumstances. If there is an unhealthy aspect to my life I have control over, I can make the necessary changes when I feel able. I can let others know what would be helpful to me in terms of support and also let others know my feelings along the way. When we are compassionate to ourselves and others, our heart expands. We develop our capacity for kindness, we understand all human beings a little more. Also by honouring ourselves we are naturally more honouring of others. Compassion is medicine that is able to penetrate to the depths of our soul and offer immense healing.