Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

What does self-compassion look like in your life?

Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD
Physician
November 22, 2022
Share
Tweet
Share

I’ve spent years deeply uncomfortable in my skin.

Wanting to disappear.

Last night, a wave of anxiety hit me as it often does when the world gets quiet.

In tune with my body for a brief moment, my heart ached.

Why?

I envisioned that moment when we ponder what we would regret on our deathbeds.

And I saw the years many of us spend hating our bodies.

Our glorious bodies that make being present in this world possible.

And it felt like such a distraction. It’s easy to spend time hating our bodies and picking apart each perceived flaw- but is that really the most important part of life? What role does this focus have in our lives?

For me, it gave me a sense of control and something to focus on when I didn’t want to focus on the emptiness or chaos … but spending time projecting my emotions onto areas of my body that I wanted to improve only led to more self-hate and more detailed critiquing.

Swapping out those negative thoughts with compassion and gratitude has been one of the most empowering exercises and has calmed so much anxiety. It’s been several months, and I have wept in the devastation of the lost years and opportunities missed due to my negative relationship with self and body.

Improving our relationships with our bodies and becoming in tune with helping them to feel nourished, energized, loved, and safe help us adopt the behaviors that are holistically healthy.

If you catch yourself in a moment of self-hate or picking apart your body- please take a moment and switch on the lenses of gratitude and compassion. How much different does seeing yourself through those lenses feel?

How do your actions change when you start loving yourself more and beating yourself up less?

At a conference I attended recently, Brené Brown said that at the core of “mental toughness” is “self-compassion.”

ADVERTISEMENT

I used to think beating myself up made me more of a warrior … made me “stronger” and able to conquer what the world would throw at me.

I was wrong.

Self-compassion was the answer all along. What does self-compassion look like in your life? How well are you offering yourself compassion?

Jillian Rigert is an oral medicine specialist and radiation oncology research fellow.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Think twice before prescribing opioids as a first-line treatment for pain

November 22, 2022 Kevin 4
…
Next

KevinMD on the Co-Learning Clinician podcast

November 22, 2022 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Psychiatry

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Think twice before prescribing opioids as a first-line treatment for pain
Next Post >
KevinMD on the Co-Learning Clinician podcast

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD

  • How societal narratives trap us and how to escape

    Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD
  • Fear of other people’s opinions nearly killed me. Here’s what freed me.

    Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD
  • Is perfectionism something to strive for or heal from?

    Jillian Rigert, MD, DMD

Related Posts

  • Ethical humanism: life after #medbikini and an approach to reimagining professionalism

    Jay Wong
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • The life cycle of medication consumption

    Fery Pashang, PharmD
  • My first end-of-life conversation

    Shereen Jeyakumar
  • There’s no such thing as work-life balance

    Katie Fortenberry, PhD
  • Are the life sciences the best premedical majors?

    Moses Anthony

More in Physician

  • A surgeon’s view on RVUs and moral injury

    Rene Loyola, MD
  • Reclaiming moral ambition in health care

    Mick Connors, MD
  • When language barriers become a medical emergency

    Monzur Morshed, MD and Kaysan Morshed
  • The burden of the eldest daughter

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

    L. Joseph Parker, MD
  • A doctor’s tribute to her father

    Manisha Ghimire, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are losing the health care culture war

      Rusha Modi, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hypocrisy of insurance referral mandates

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

      Banu Symington, MD | Physician
    • How functional medicine helps where conventional care falls short [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A surgeon’s view on RVUs and moral injury

      Rene Loyola, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • The ignored clinical trials on statins and mortality

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • The silent disease causing 400 amputations daily

      Xzabia Caliste, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • A surgeon’s view on RVUs and moral injury

      Rene Loyola, MD | Physician
    • Meeting transgender patients with compassion and equity in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why your health is a portfolio to manage

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • Reclaiming moral ambition in health care

      Mick Connors, MD | Physician
    • Pain control failures in fertility clinics

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Why what you do in midlife matters most

      Michael Pessman | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are losing the health care culture war

      Rusha Modi, MD, MPH | Policy
    • The hypocrisy of insurance referral mandates

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • A cancer doctor’s warning about the future of medicine

      Banu Symington, MD | Physician
    • How functional medicine helps where conventional care falls short [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A surgeon’s view on RVUs and moral injury

      Rene Loyola, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • The ignored clinical trials on statins and mortality

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • The silent disease causing 400 amputations daily

      Xzabia Caliste, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • A surgeon’s view on RVUs and moral injury

      Rene Loyola, MD | Physician
    • Meeting transgender patients with compassion and equity in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why your health is a portfolio to manage

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • Reclaiming moral ambition in health care

      Mick Connors, MD | Physician
    • Pain control failures in fertility clinics

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Why what you do in midlife matters most

      Michael Pessman | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...