19. Self-Compassion, Weight Loss, and ADHD

In today's episode, I talk about something that I know you probably will understand, self-compassion. Sometimes things feel hard and you might not be very kind to yourself. I needed this reminder for myself, and I'm sharing it with you. 

I discuss what self-compassion means, what it is not, and why it matters in weight loss: 

• Stephen Hickman defines compassion as "the awareness of suffering coupled with a desire to relive that suffering."
• Self-compassion is the act of noticing when you're struggling, recognizing that's actually part of being human, and then being kind to yourself rather than beating yourself up. 
• Kristin Neff says that there are three elements that have to be present for self-compassion: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.
• Self-compassion is NOT complacency or not showing yourself tough love, being overly permissive, self-pity and feeling sorry for yourself, or selfish and looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. 
• Why it matters with weight loss: 
  • Practicing self-compassion increases your mindfulness, so you're more aware of your actions, feelings, and thoughts. Mindfulness leads to change! 
  • This also leads to changing your perception of yourself (your mind, your body, your whole self) and this can lead to you wanting to care for yourself more. 
  • A study showed that having self-compassion can help engage in healthier weight loss behavior by helping them become less demoralized by setbacks. 
  • From Shahroo Izadi's book, she says "it is those who struggle to be kind to themselves who have the hardest time when they try to make lasting, meaningful changes to their eating habits." 
• Find a way to be more self-compassionate that works for you. If it feels weird to you, try something a bit different! 
• You've got this! 

Kristin Neff's book: Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself 
Shahroo Izadi's book: The Last Diet: Discover the Secret to Losing Weight - for Good

I'd love to hear from you! You can connect with me in the following ways:

Instagram: @thejennwatts
Email: [email protected]

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I'd love to know if there's something you want to hear more about or if you want to let me know about your own experiences with ADHD and weight loss.