Week 7 post 2

The ability to feel proud of oneself and to feel adequate is a huge struggle among people even though for many, it is easy to see in others. Throughout all of time humans have created a pattern of comparing each other and finding ways to try and ‘improve’ or be ‘better’. however this in turn has lead to shockingly negative, harsh, destructive, self-criticism. While reflecting on one's actions is important, it is key to make sure that reflection is constructive and also constitutes for the fact that humans are not  perfect and that is okay. Self-compassion is key to happiness and healthy growth as a person. It allows people to be more compassionate to not only themselves but also together because when people can recognize that their struggle is human, they can recognize that it is the struggle of many people which in turn leads to a feeling of common humanity. Kristin Neff who is the main researcher behind the idea of self compassion also notes that it is extremely beneficial to one's health because it: decreases cortisol, decrease heart rate variability, linked to less rumination and perfectionism, allows for better coping mechanisms to stressful situations, better reaction ti chronic illness, and ability to acknowledge and accept emotions.

When great thinkers and creators realize the struggles they all share, they gain compassion and happiness that is otherwise missing. This in turn leads to the most productive work that a human can partake in, which would be group flow. The ability to feel compassion and understanding for oneself and others allows people to deeply immerse themselves into their interests and lives. This allows people to bounce off of each other without jealousy and with the greater goal of learning or creating and fully submerging themselves in that. It allows people to work together without any negative or distracting thoughts which further enables them to feel complete consciousness. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains the relationship between group flow and the environment which fosters it, “a unified flowing from one moment to the next, in which we feel in control of our actions, and in which there is little distinction between self and environment; between stimulus and response; or between past, present, and future”. It allows people to be separate from their past or their future expectations and part of a group that truly learns and creates.