CHERRIE L. RAGUNTON
INTERSPECT TRAINING SERVICES, PHILIPPINES
Title: SELF-COMPASSION AND MINDFULNESS FOR HELPING PROFESSIONALS
Biography
Biography: CHERRIE L. RAGUNTON
Abstract
It is often easy and quite natural for us helping professionals to be kind and compassionate towards our clients. Unfortunately, we, at some eras of our lives, may come to struggle in extending the same kindness toward ourselves. We were trained to be emphatic and sympathetic to our clients and to feel how they feel amidst life’s struggles, but also to help them to see the value of their sufferings in their lives. As we do this, we are likewise teaching them to gain resilience and confidence whenever they find themselves facing life’s adversities.
Our job is truly fulfilling and rewarding, yet, admittedly, oftentimes draining (emotionally, psychologically and physically). It is, therefore, rather essential for us to practice self-compassion such that we may continuously serve our clients and avoid burning ourselves out. Being mindful, on the other hand, aids us in sustaining and preparing ourselves for more exhausting cases. We, too, occasionally experience entertaining our negative thoughts and feelings, and sometimes even come to suppress or repress them without our knowledge. Mindfulness helps us to become more self-aware – the variety of awareness that we, even as we help other people, are not exempted from life’s challenges. It becomes all the more a reason for us to care for and be kind to ourselves.
We all have our own struggles and dilemmas, irreversible mistakes and humiliating failures. How should we treat ourselves when faced with such situations? Are we resilient in such peculiar situations? Are we teaching our clients how to be the same through our own examples? When was the last time that you genuinely stopped for a moment, and taken that time to reflect? When was the previous occasion wherein we took at least a minute or two from our busy and, oftentimes, hectic schedules to really peer deep into our minds, hearts and bodies? When was the last time we took care of our own wellness, the last time you treated yourself with much kindness, the way you have treated your client or a friend in need?
This workshop aims to assist the participants in practicing self-compassion and mindfulness; it intends to help the participants take a moment from their day to enjoy a few moments of self-love, self-affirmation and kindness. This workshop wishes and hopes to replenish the being and soul of the participants through experiential activities. After all, what can we offer to others that which we lack ourselves?