Do You Practice Self Compassion?

Because if you don’t, then it is something you need to start thinking about.

Self compassion makes a big difference to your overall mindset, particularly if you have ADHD and experience rejection sensitive dysphoria. It is often overlooked, but it plays a key role in how you handle challenges, setbacks, and everyday demands.

Why self compassion matters with ADHD

Speaking to and about yourself in a negative way is incredibly harmful to your mental health, yet it is something many people do without even realising.

That running self criticism inside your head might feel like it is keeping you on track, but in reality it tends to lead to more overwhelm, more avoidance, and generally leaves you feeling worse about yourself.

When everything already feels harder to manage, adding that extra layer of pressure makes it much more difficult to stay engaged and follow things through.

What self compassion actually looks like

Self compassion is about learning to change how you respond to yourself when things feel difficult.

It starts with noticing how you are speaking to yourself and softening it into something more realistic. So rather than thinking “I should be better at this”, you begin to change that into “this is something I find difficult”.

That small adjustment reduces pressure and makes it easier to think clearly about what would actually help in that moment.

Setting expectations that work for you

Self compassion also means setting expectations that match your capacity, rather than what you think you should be able to do.

This is not about lowering standards. It is about being honest about your energy, your focus, and what is realistic on any given day. When expectations are consistently set too high, the outcome is usually frustration and a sense that you are constantly falling short.

When expectations are more aligned with how you actually function, it becomes much easier to build consistency.

Breaking the cycle of pressure and shutdown

When you respond to yourself with more understanding, it becomes easier to stay motivated and try again, rather than getting stuck in a cycle of pressure followed by shutdown.

You are more likely to reset, more willing to re engage, and less likely to write the whole day off when something does not go to plan.

A simple way to check yourself

Now think about this for a moment.

Would you speak to other people in the way you speak to yourself?

If the answer is no, then something needs to change. You deserve the same level of kindness, patience, and respect that you give to other people.

Self compassion is not about getting everything right. It is about how you treat yourself while you are figuring things out.