Kindness and Compassion Self-Care Practices for You and Your Patients

Presented by Carolyn McManus

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Video Runtime: 51 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 24 Minutes

Healthcare providers require a broad range of effective stress management strategies to maintain well-being and respond skillfully to the multiple stressors we face daily. Kindness and compassion practices are evidence-based tools that can be added to your self-care toolbox to reduce stress and support your well-being. In addition, once familiar with these contemplative practices and their benefits, you can share them with patients. This course introduces you to specific contemplative practices that help you cultivate kindness and compassion, promote positive emotions, and reduce stress. Kindness and compassion research is reviewed, phrases evoking these states are introduced, and meditation practices to develop them are guided. Combining lecture and experiential exercises, this course is applicable to healthcare professionals in both inpatient and outpatient settings who would benefit from learning self-care practices to promote their own well-being and to share with patients.

Meet your instructor

Carolyn McManus

Carolyn McManus is a highly skilled clinician, researcher, and professional trainer and is a national leader in the integration of mindfulness into healthcare. She is the past president of the APTA Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Pain Special Interest Group. She holds master’s degrees in physical therapy and in…

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Chapters & learning objectives

Kindness Meditation

1. Kindness Meditation

This chapter introduces the topics of kindness and loving-kindness meditation. Three styles of kindness meditation are described, and kindness phrases are introduced. Research on the role of loving-kindness meditation on positive emotions and vagal tone, provider empathy, and communication is discussed.

Guided Loving-Kindness Meditation

2. Guided Loving-Kindness Meditation

This chapter provides a loving-kindness meditation experiential exercise. Kindness meditation phrases are highlighted as instructions are given to extend kindness to a benefactor, the self, and a loved one.

Compassion and Self-Compassion

3. Compassion and Self-Compassion

This chapter introduces the topics of compassion and self-compassion. Three styles of compassion meditation are described, and compassion phrases are introduced. Compassion and self-compassion research is reviewed.

Guided Compassion Meditation

4. Guided Compassion Meditation

This chapter provides an experiential exercise in benefactor-inspired compassion meditation. Resources for additional information on the topics of kindness and compassion are highlighted.