"Why You Should Stop Being So Hard on Yourself" by Charlotte Lieberman (NY Times, 2018-05-22) offers some excellent advice on how "... to avoid getting caught up in our mistakes and obsessing about them until we degrade ourselves, and rather strive to let go of them so we can move onto the next productive action from a place of acceptance and clarity." She suggests three small steps:

• "Commit to treating yourself more kindly – call it letting go of self-judgment, going easier on yourself, practicing self-compassion or whatever resonates most. ... Try mindfulness meditation, which involves anchoring your attention on the breath as a tool to stay present without getting lost in judgments, stories and assumptions."
• "... meet your criticism with kindness. If your inner critic says, 'You're lazy and worthless,' respond with a reminder: 'You're doing your best' or 'We all make mistakes.'"
• "Make a deliberate, conscious effort to recognize the difference between how you feel when caught up in self-criticism, and how you feel when you can let go of it. ... Practice what it feels like to treat yourself as you might treat a friend."

_{(emphasis added; cf Mantra - Be Your Own Best Friend (2016-02-16), There Is Nothing Wrong with You (2020-02-13), ...) - ^z - 2020-06-08}