“Be gentle with yourself if you wish to be gentle with others.” ~Lama Yeshe “Guilty,” admits an offender. “Guilty,” proclaims a jury. Things are pretty black and white in trial verdicts and courtroom pleas (although there are still plea bargains and hung juries, mitigating circumstances and appeals). Life is rarely as cut-and-dried as the criminal justice system. I’ve experienced guilt in different shades of grey—in rational and many irrational ways that bear no real relation to the “crime” at hand, or to any crime at all. I’ve experienced guilt simply for how I think, how I feel, not for anything … Continue reading When You’re Hard on Yourself: Replace Guilt with Self-Compassion