It's okay to feel empty. It's okay to feel like I'm missing out on everything that other people have that I don't. It's okay to feel depressed or bored because other people's lives seem better than mine. It's okay to feel powerless in the face of others' expectations and to feel upset and heartbroken that I can't achieve happiness like they do. #Vent #MentalHealth #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone #ItsOkayToStruggle #SelfCompassion #EmotionalHealing #BeKindToYourself

We often discuss compassion, empathy, and kindness in the context of teamwork. But what we don’t always consider is how to be kind to ourselves. Back in 2022, I spoke to @mscottford and @andreagoulet for the @legacycoderocks podcast , about why it’s so important to be compassionate to ourselves… and I shared some techniques on how to achieve this. 

You can listen here: https://legacycoderocks.libsyn.com/self-compassion-with-clare-sudbery

Ever been told to “just stop” picking skin, pulling hair, or biting nails? If only it were that simple.

This essential Psychology Today article breaks down why willpower isn’t the fix for BFRBs—and what actually helps instead. It’s a must-read for anyone who struggles or knows someone who does.

https://zurl.co/QU3MM

Ever been told to “just stop” picking skin, pulling hair, or biting nails? If only it were that simple.

This essential @psychology Today article breaks down why willpower isn’t the fix for BFRBs—and what actually helps instead. It’s a must-read for anyone who struggles or knows someone who does.

https://zurl.co/QU3MM

Finding Balance: Mastering Emotions through Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

#Mindfulness #EmotionalRegulation #SelfCompassion #MentalHealth #CognitiveTherapy #StressReduction #EmotionalWellness #MindfulnessBasedTherapy #Resilience #PositiveThinking #EmotionalIntelligence #CompassionateMind #MentalHealthAwareness #MindfulLiving #EmotionalExploration

https://youtube.com/shorts/wjOdOsT83Vw?feature=share

Highlight Preview: Dr. Kristin Neff und weitere ab sofort beim Pioneers of Change Summit 2025

Thriving Through Turbulence: Your Essential Guide to Mental Wellness

#MentalHealth #Mindfulness #CognitiveBehavioralTherapy #CBT #EmotionalWellness #AffectRegulation #SkillsBuilding #SelfCompassion #MentalHealthAwareness #Thrive #LifeSkills #MindfulLiving #EmotionalBalance #MentalWellness #PositiveMindset

https://youtube.com/shorts/MOWDQ4XUyWQ?feature=share

#Mindfulness is the first step in emotional healing—the ability to turn toward and acknowledge difficult thoughts and feelings (such as anger, confusion, sadness, and inadequacy) with an approach of openness and curiosity.

#selfcompassion involves responding to difficult thoughts and feelings with kindness, sympathy, and understanding so that we can soothe and comfort ourselves when we’re hurting.

Research has shown that self-#compassion dramatically boosts emotional well-being and happiness and reduces anxiety and depression. All that’s required is a shift in the direction of your attention–recognizing that as a human being, you, too, are a worthy recipient of compassion.

I spoke with someone Friday evening about her trauma coping skills and have been using one of her tips to thank my anxiety. She said it seems counterintuitive but works. She said anxiety just wants you to pay attention and make sure you’re safe.

I’ve been thanking my anxiety for alerting me to danger and giving it evidence that I’m safe and it has worked the past 2 nights.

Today feels like a good day to latibulate.

I spoke with someone last night about her trauma coping strategies. I woke up with a headache and puffy eyes from all the crying yesterday.

Healing has started to feel quietly possible. There’s more ease in navigating old reactions, more inner cohesion, and a gentler awareness when anxiety stirs. I’m learning to feel proud of that progress—not through big breakthroughs, but in the soft moments where life feels lighter. Re-creating myself outside of survival mode is unfamiliar territory, but maybe it’s where I’m meant to be. #HealingJourney #SelfCompassion #PersonalGrowth

The moment you see how important it is to love yourself, you will stop making others suffer

~Gautama Buddha

Normalizing using dissociation as a coping strategy and survival mechanism is one of the most compassionate things my therapist ever taught me.

It’s a common way autistic folks self regulate. I embrace it now instead of shaming myself.

Today I will give myself compassion and loving kindness.

My trauma is apparently about more than being harmed/hurt.

My logical brain thought it had figured out the panic attack triggers. But it appears there are more triggers than I thought.

Every time stress hits, I find myself trapped in the same pattern. Withdrawal, regret, then scrambling to fix everything. It feels automatic, like something bigger than me takes over. I know what’s happening, though knowing doesn’t always stop it. The freeze response kicks in before I even have a chance to argue.

I’ve spent so much time thinking this was laziness, avoidance, or some personal failing. The truth is, it’s a learned response—one that made sense at some point. My nervous system still believes that reaching out is dangerous. That moving forward carries too much risk. That if I wait long enough, the danger will pass. Except, in adulthood, nothing gets better by waiting.

There are younger parts of me that still believe help isn’t coming. They hold old fears, old memories, old pain. Their logic is clear: doing nothing is safer than doing something wrong. They aren’t trying to sabotage me. They are trying to protect me in the only way they know how.

Then there’s another part—the one that says nothing will change, so stop trying. The one that carries the anger, the exhaustion, the hopelessness. I used to think this part was working against me. Now I see that it’s another protector. It is trying to keep me safe from disappointment, from failure, from getting hurt. It thinks the best way to do that is to shut everything down before I can even begin.

Fighting this cycle hasn’t been about forcing myself to take action. That has never worked. The real work has been in slowing down, noticing what’s happening, and giving these parts a voice.

Recognizing the freeze when it starts.
Letting the protector speak instead of shoving it aside.
Allowing the younger parts to be heard, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Taking the smallest possible step forward, even when every part of me wants to disappear.

This process is slow. Messy. Frustrating. There are days when it feels like nothing is changing. Then I look at the bigger picture. I stuck with neuroscience despite this pattern. I advocated for myself in counseling. I started writing things down, letting the younger parts speak in ways they never have before.

That is change. That is movement. Even when it doesn’t feel like enough, it is proof that I am not where I used to be.