12 Wednesday, May 13, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Manage suffering with self-compassion By Mitchell Luftig Columnist The COVID-19 pan- demic has upended our lives, bringing in its wake uncertainty about the future, financial hardship, social isolation, and it has frus- trated our efforts to support vulnerable loved-ones. The pandemic has cre- ated the ultimate double- whammy: It poses both a physical threat to our sur- vival and a psychologi- cal threat to our sense of well-being. The brain9s amygdala responds identically to physical and psychological threats, preparing our body to fight like a lion, flee like a gazelle, or freeze in place like a rabbit, responses more effective against a physi- cal threat than one which is psychological in nature. When we treat ourselves with kindness, understand- ing, and acceptance4that is with self-compassion4we have the greatest chance of managing the painful emo- tions that are triggered by the pandemic and respond- ing rationally to the chal- lenges that face us. For a variety of reasons, individuals may have dif- ficulty treating themselves compassionately 4 they think of self-compassion as one big pity-party; they believe that self-criticism is the best way to motivate themselves; they downplay the extent to which they are suffering (other people9s suffering is so much greater than mine!); or they may not feel worthy of being treated kindly. Research shows that individuals who treat them- selves compassionately: " Possess stable self- esteem that isn9t dependent on external validation. " Recognize when their efforts go badly, take responsibility for their mis- takes and learn from their experience. " Respond to a poor evaluation with sympa- thy for themselves and self-comforting behaviors rather than rumination and self-criticism. " Are less afraid of fail- ure and rejection, better able to accept and benefit from feedback. " Are better able to regu- late their emotions. High scores on a mea- sure of self-compassion NuggetNews.com is your online source for Breaking News Classifieds Weather correlate with wisdom, per- sonal initiative, happiness, optimism, positive affect, and coping. Self-compassion is a skill that can be learned. For interested readers, Kristin Neff and C h risto p h e r Germer offer a series of excellent guided exercises in