How to Be Gentle with Yourself Today

(computer mouse clicks) (gentle music) Headspace Studio. Hi everyone. Welcome to Radio Headspace. I'm Dora. So I was listening to Erica Badu's song "Bag Lady" the other day, and it's one of those songs that sings into your spirit if you let it. The lyrics "Bag lady, you gonna hurt your back. Dragging all those bags like that" reminded me how easy it is to carry old pain around. But what really struck me was how compassionate it felt. Like she wasn't scolding us for carrying too much, she was gently encouraging us to put it down. And that's what compassion feels like. Not a push, but an invitation. And don't get it twisted. Compassion isn't a weakness. This is often a misconception. It's the brave choice to meet ourselves and others with care and tenderness, to release judgment and create space for healing. As my therapist recently reminded me, it's possible to care without caring. I've shared this Buddhist story here before, but it explains the concept of self-compassion so beautifully. So there was a grieving woman who came to the Buddha, devastated by the death of her child. She begged him to bring her child back to life, and the Buddha told her he could help, but only if she could find a mustard seed from a home that had never known loss. She went from house to house searching. At every door, she found someone who had lost someone too. Eventually, she came back empty handed, but transformed. What she had found was more connection, compassion, and shared humanity. That story and that Erika Badu song both point to the same truth. Compassion doesn't always get rid of the pain, but it does help us carry it differently. And when we practice compassion, it becomes a doorway to connection. There are so many moments in our day when we can choose compassion, when we can catch ourselves in self-criticism, "I should have done more. Why am I like this?" This is an opportunity to speak gently and kindly instead. When someone cuts us off in traffic, we can acknowledge the frustration and take a breath to remember that they might be carrying something invisible too. And compassion isn't just about others. It starts with how we relate to ourselves. At times, we can be our own harshest critics. But what would change if we softened, if we said, "I'm doing the best I can today" and let that be enough. Compassion gives us that permission. And the thing about compassion is it doesn't mean that you condone harmful behavior. It doesn't mean that you ignore boundaries. It means that you lead with a sense of softness. You give people, including yourself, the dignity of complexity. You understand that we're all carrying something. And sometimes the kindest thing that you can do is set the bag down. Today, try practicing compassion in the small moments. Speak to yourself like someone you love. When you feel yourself tightening or judging,...