Self-compassion involves being open to and aware of one’s own suffering and offering kindness and understanding towards oneself. A study conducted by the University of Texas at Austin explores the link between self-compassion, academic achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. They analyzed how students dealt with disappointment after they failed their midterm exams. “The students who scored higher in self-compassion weren’t so derailed by the experience,” said Dr. Kristin Neff, who headed up the study. “When you’re really stressed you tend to be harsher on yourself out of habit, when you should actually be kindest to yourself during those stressful situations,” she said. The research also found that self-compassion was related to positive psychological functioning and emotional health. The study deduced that self-compassion is the link that allows one to experience positive emotion toward oneself without having to protect or bolster one’s self-concept.
