Five Creative Prompts Exploring Self-Compassion

As I spend more and more time doing therapeutic work with clients, I’ve learned how important it is to develop a sense of acceptance and compassion for the different parts of ourselves. Self-compassion helps us find more inner harmony. These creative writing prompts are an entry point to exploring self-compassion.

1. Letter to Your Future Self

Write a letter to your future self, offering words of understanding and compassion. Imagine your future self and all of their accomplishments. Reflect on how you supported your future self to grow in various ways. Include supportive reminders and acknowledge areas you want to give yourself credit, now and in the future.

2. Compassion Dialogue

Write a dialogue between two parts of yourself that are at odds: a part of yourself that is critical and a self-compassionate part. Let the compassionate voice respond to the critical voice with kindness, understanding, and support, and explore how the critical voice is trying to help. Explore how this conversation changes your perspective on a challenging situation.

3. Gratitude Recipe

Make a recipe. It can be a poem listing things you appreciate about yourself. These can be qualities, achievements, or simple acts of kindness. Consider how to prepare the list of ingredients and what it ultimately creates.

4. Rewriting Your Inner Critic

Think of a recent moment when you were hard on yourself. Write down the critical thoughts that came up. Then imagine you are a friend and compassionately rewrite those thoughts, as if you are receiving comfort and understanding, no matter what you did. How does reframing these thoughts change how you feel about yourself?

5. Visualization Story

Imagine a place where you feel completely safe. Imagine what it looks like. Activate your senses and imagine visually, aurally, and what it feels like. Write a story about a day spent in this place, describing it in detail. Include how you interact in this environment.