Listen to this intro track to get a sense of what Mindful Self Compassion is about and why it's so important. These practices are from Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer's wonderful course of the same name.

Here you can learn how to use touch to support yourself - we already know how good it can feel to have another touch us, but we can also do a lot for ourselves by giving ourselves a hug, holding our own hand, etc. Give it a go!

Compassion is the balm that helps us to heal. You can cultivate it for yourself with practices like these from Mindful Self Compassion

You may have practiced mindfulness of breathing before; in this practice, we build on that by bringing in a gentle enjoyment of the soft sensations of breathing. I'm inviting you to actively enjoy your breathing, which is a wonderful calming practice. From Mindful Self Compassion 8-week course by Neff and Germer.

In this practice, the invitation is to reflect on what words you would love to hear, and then whisper them to yourself. I suggest making it something quite general, like 'It's OK' or 'I'm here for you', but choosing what you need to hear and seeing what happens when say it to yourself. Remember to use a gentle tone of voice.

Why not try this practice of imagining yourself in a safe, beautiful place with someone who really cares about you and understands you fully? then realising that they've been a part of you all along!

Kindness makes the world go round, in this practice we start off wishing well to someone we care about, moving on to wishing well for both of you, then just yourself. Particularly good if you find it hard to wish well to yourself - you warm up on someone else. We are all deserving of kindness.

Why not give yourself a nice long practice of appreciating your body and all the amazing things it does, and sending a bit of love and sympathy for any bits that are struggling at the moment?

Walking meditation can be a great way of grounding and centring your attention, and in this practice you add kind words with every step. Particularly useful if you feel agitated and sitting down to meditate just seems to hard.

Life is difficult sometimes....and our usual response to difficulty is to brace against it and try to make it go away. The thing is, when it's our own emotions that are difficult, that just creates more tension. So if we can soften internally and allow ourselves to feel what we're feeling, we reduce that internal conflict.

Image breathing in compassion for myself and out for you, or any other person or people. It can feel like a nice balance caring for yourself and looking after others as well.