Self-Compassion Summer Coming Right Up!

May 14, 2026

You’ve made it! This year has been filled with Teamwork, Creativity, and Perseverance, so now it’s time to celebrate and look to what is next. Even though we hope you have many good memories from the year, we know that the end of the year might come with feelings of frustration or regret as well. Maybe there is a student who never had that lightbulb moment, or a parent that you think will never change enough to accept help for their child.

Self-compassion can be a powerful tool to help you process difficult end-of-year emotions, and we’re here to bring you tips from researcher Dr. Kristin Neff on how to make peace with where you’re at, so you can move forward into your summer with more equanimity. First, set aside time to think about your accomplishments from the year. Really savor the goodness of the moments where students had lightbulb moments, succeeded where they had been struggling, and where you were able to respond in the ways you wanted to when students

were escalating. Remember these moments with as much sensory recall as possible. Who was there? What sounds did you hear in that moment? Were there any sensory inputs for smell or touch? This practice will help cement those moments in your brain so that when you are having a rough day, you’ll be able to recall them with more ease.

Next, make self-compassion your response when you come across memories from the year that aren’t so sunny. Here’s what to focus on:

1. Self-Kindness. We’re often tougher on ourselves than on others. Think of the ways that you have treated a good friend when they have come to you in their most difficult moments. You probably responded with care and understanding instead of harsh judgment. Give yourself that same experience of kindness! That might sound like recognizing the difficulty of the situation or feeling (“That was a really stressful moment”) while also honoring the fact that you did the best you could with what you had at that time. This doesn’t mean there isn’t room to improve, but self-kindness gets our thinking brain back online and brings more Perspective and Humility, as well as Intentional practices to the forefront.

2. Common Humanity. You know that moment that you look back on when you’re trying to fall asleep at night, but every time you close your eyes you see that interaction playing back, over and over again? *DEEP BREATH* The reality is this: You’re not alone! Common humanity is all about seeing your own experience as part of the common human experience: we all struggle, we all mess up, we all have flaws, and we all have those moments that we just cannot believe actually happened. Instead of believing the false narrative that “some

thing like this could only ever happen to you”, turn toward the truth: you’re not alone. Remembering your common humanity doesn’t fix what went wrong and doesn’t make pain go away, but it can help you build your Character Strength of Perspective and allow you to be more gracious with yourself.

3. Mindfulness. If you start to feel stuck—either with a feeling or trying to avoid that emotion—pause. Rather than trying to escape painful feelings or perseverating on them for days at a time, mindfulness can help us be present with uncomfortable emotions and sensations. We often want to dive right into problem solving mode, but if we can bear the discomfort and turn toward the suffering we are experiencing, we might just begin to recognize what we need to get through.

The best part of all this? When you practice something like self-compassion this summer, we know you will model it for your students. Imagine what your classroom could look like next year if you are modeling self-compassion from the beginning…your students will learn how to be kind to themselves, recognize that they aren’t the only ones who experience tough moments, and begin to mindfully regulate their emotions. You (and your students!) will be all the better for it