Self-compassion

     "When one experiences compassion, one notices and is moved by the suffering of others, so that the desire to alleviate their suffering arises. Compassion for the failings and misdeeds of others is also met with understanding instead of harsh condemnation that simplistically reifies people as bad, so that unskilled actions and behaviors are seen in the context of shared human fallibility.  

     Self-compassion involves taking a similar stance toward one's own suffering, so that one is kind and understanding toward oneself when failure, inadequacy, or misfortune is experienced. Self-compassionate individuals recognize that pain and imperfection are an inevitable part of the human experience, something that we all go through instead of an isolated occurrence that happens to "me" alone. Having compassion for oneself also involves taking a balanced perspective on negative self-relevant emotions, so that personal pain is neither suppressed and denied nor exaggerated and dramatized. 

     Most people say they are less nurturing toward and more harsh with themselves than they are with other people. Self-compassionate individuals, however, say they are equally kind to themselves and others. Self-compassion can be thought of as a type of openheartedness in which the boundaries between self and other are softened -- all human beings are worthy of compassion, the self included."

     Neff KD. Self-compassion: Moving beyond the pitfalls of a separate self-concept. In: Wayment HA, Bauer JJ. Transcending self-interest: Psychological explorations of the quiet ego. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. 2008.

Kristin Neff PhD on Self-compassion & Self-esteem