Compassion, in my words, is the desire to help another by understanding or empathising with their pain, their thoughts or feelings. The emotional motivation to do more for others, to be more of who we are.
We are connected and through that connection, we have the power to help, support, love, give, listen, share and save.
And we can demonstrate compassion in so many different simple ways;
Helping someone with a chore they struggle to do (shopping for an elderly neighbour)
Helping a mother with her pushchair down some stairs (I remember all too well what a struggle that could be!)
Calling someone up for a chat for no other reason than to make sure they are okay
Sending a card, a text, a bunch of flowers
Helping your local community in a ‘keep it tidy’ campaign
Sponsoring the life of a child
What would our world be like if each and everyone of us practiced compassion every single day? I wonder…
But I think it’s time to wonder less, and do more – what will you do?
A catalyst for change, Yvonne Bignall is a breath of fresh air in the extraordinary way she helps women 50+ to reconnect with life & their innate power through radical self-care, guilt-free!
She supports, encourages, and inspires women to prioritise their health, one bitesize action at a time. Her work is challenging as it navigates through difficult conversations, listening & observing how women’s health issues have been:
❊ Undermined
❊ Under-resourced &
❊ Swept under the carpet
She helps women to recognise & unpack old scripts that still (sadly enough) tell them that their value derives from their level of caregiving of others, their output. The truth is it is the input, the ability to resource self, which provides women with the energy required to realise their true potential.
Along with her team, she explores the thoughts, behaviour & habits, often born out of guilt, gender expectations, and reinforced narratives, with curiosity (not judgment), discarding the unhelpful, whilst reclaiming innate power through the creation of new patterns, restoring a sense of self, outside of societal expectations. In her opinion, this allows women to:
✔ Develop an elevated level of self-awareness
✔ Build / rebuild their confidence & self-belief
✔ Value all of who they are and invest time in who they want to be at their best
A self-care warrior, an encourager & inspirer, Yvonne is today an award-winning Women’s Health Advocate, Published Author, and an International Presenter. She is also a Radio Show Host and a Podcaster.
Yvonne is focused on building a community of women, www.PermissionToThrive.online, who are ready to reclaim their right to self-care, guilt-free, and who prioritise their health without apology, role-modeling behaviour & habits that inform generations to come of their true value.
She also advocates for self-care over burnout in the workplace, delivering practical webinars in the corporate space. In her own words, “It is time for employees to prioritise their wellbeing. How will they deliver their best work without it?”
One of her favourite quotes comes from Eleanor Brown, ‘Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel’
Connect with Yvonne and,
🌱 Become part of the self-care revolution at Permission to Thrive or
📞 Book a chat to find out about her coaching and corporate services: https://calendly.com/yvonne-b/20min
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Compassion for me is doing what I can to help others, and understanding at what point in there lives they are coming from. Compassion for me is listening and understanding.
Compassion for me is offering help unconditionally. Compassion for me is always looking at a situation form the other persons point of view.
Compassion, I always associated with time off or time out to deal with a delicate part of ones life. I guess that translates to giving those around you time to heal when they need it most, and supporting them in anyway you can by being there, taking over their usual responsibilities and maybe even protecting them for a short while from the outside world. Thank you Yvonne for giving me the time to think on this 🙂
For me, compassion is about showing thoughtfulness, kindness and consideration to others on a daily basis, caring about the way they might be feeling and what they are going through, and supporting, motivating and understanding them as much as I can. If I can do something practical to help them then I will do as much as possible, whilst retaining a sense of balance between caring for them and maintaining my own wellbeing.
Great to see so many wonderful responses and how interesting to see our interpretations of compassion. I love that the importance of doing as much for others whilst retaining a personal sense of well-being was mentioned. I have certainly met people with huge compassion but to the detriment of their own heath… It is a very good point.
Being in the care industry compassion and empathy are so important as you are responsible for another human … You are there to help each individual and make everyday a special day for them… Love them like they are part of your family, treat them no different as u would an able person… Give them loads of love and hugs, everyone needs a hug …
For me compassion is being there and showing you care, you understand, you help where you can. That help may only be to provide a listening ear. Compassion is putting someone else’s feelings before your own. Compassion is realising that sometimes there are other people worse off than you, but they can still be OK and reassuring them of that. Compassion is showing love for those that you think or feel don’t need it, where in fact they are the ones that need it most, even when they don’t realise it themselves.
Great post, thank you Beverley… It’s an interesting point about showing love for those that you think or feel don’t need it. What springs to mind are the people I see who are constantly giving of self, never taking their foot off the pedal and purely focused on serving others. They require compassion, to know their work is being noticed and appreciated, even if they don’t expect it. Thank you for sharing…
Compassion for me is the ability to empathize to someone else’s struggles and pain, you may not understand what their situation is but you can put yourself in their place or at least try to. It’s a very good quality in someone but its something that comes naturally and cannot be forced..To live a life without compassion is a very empty life
their pain, their thoughts or feelings. The emotional motivation to do more for others, to be more of who we are.
Being Your Best You 
Compassion for me is doing what I can to help others, and understanding at what point in there lives they are coming from. Compassion for me is listening and understanding.
Compassion for me is offering help unconditionally. Compassion for me is always looking at a situation form the other persons point of view.
Compassion is taking the time to understand what another human being is going through and at the same time being respectful.
Compassion, I always associated with time off or time out to deal with a delicate part of ones life. I guess that translates to giving those around you time to heal when they need it most, and supporting them in anyway you can by being there, taking over their usual responsibilities and maybe even protecting them for a short while from the outside world. Thank you Yvonne for giving me the time to think on this 🙂
For me, compassion is about showing thoughtfulness, kindness and consideration to others on a daily basis, caring about the way they might be feeling and what they are going through, and supporting, motivating and understanding them as much as I can. If I can do something practical to help them then I will do as much as possible, whilst retaining a sense of balance between caring for them and maintaining my own wellbeing.
Great to see so many wonderful responses and how interesting to see our interpretations of compassion. I love that the importance of doing as much for others whilst retaining a personal sense of well-being was mentioned. I have certainly met people with huge compassion but to the detriment of their own heath… It is a very good point.
Thank you all for sharing!
Being in the care industry compassion and empathy are so important as you are responsible for another human … You are there to help each individual and make everyday a special day for them… Love them like they are part of your family, treat them no different as u would an able person… Give them loads of love and hugs, everyone needs a hug …
I love that Peter, loads of love and hugs.. simple things that cost nothing and give so much!
For me compassion is being there and showing you care, you understand, you help where you can. That help may only be to provide a listening ear. Compassion is putting someone else’s feelings before your own. Compassion is realising that sometimes there are other people worse off than you, but they can still be OK and reassuring them of that. Compassion is showing love for those that you think or feel don’t need it, where in fact they are the ones that need it most, even when they don’t realise it themselves.
Great post, thank you Beverley… It’s an interesting point about showing love for those that you think or feel don’t need it. What springs to mind are the people I see who are constantly giving of self, never taking their foot off the pedal and purely focused on serving others. They require compassion, to know their work is being noticed and appreciated, even if they don’t expect it. Thank you for sharing…
Compassion for me is the ability to empathize to someone else’s struggles and pain, you may not understand what their situation is but you can put yourself in their place or at least try to. It’s a very good quality in someone but its something that comes naturally and cannot be forced..To live a life without compassion is a very empty life
Beautifully put Rachel, thank you…