While I am still waiting for my shipment of bracelets to arrive, I've begun talking to counselling clients and colleagues about Compassion It. This project encourages and reminds people to practice compassion toward both others and themselves. You can flip the bracelet every time you find yourself practicing compassion through thought or deed. For more on the origins of Compassion It visit https://compassionit.com/

I decided to participate in Compassion It because I noticed that many of my counselling clients were struggling with self-compassion. A counselling teacher shared that she has seen the bracelets provide a visual reminder to folks not only to be actively compassionate, but that it's absolutely okay to do so. For my clients who grew up with a deficit of compassion and care in their lives, I believe that this will be a powerful game-changer. Having just completed a course (via NICABM - the National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioural Medicine) on helping clients overcome a chronic belief that they are "never good enough" I am excited to try this out.

I have permission to share the comments below from people with whom I have discussed Compassion It.

"I think I need this in my life. I never really learned how to do nice things for myself. And definitely I like the idea of showing compassion to others."

"I would love to try this out with the kids in my class. Teaching compassion seems like a no-brainer."

"I was taught that we must always put others first, and so I did that with my kids and in my marriage and in my job until I didn't have much left to give. This is a different way of thinking - that my giving can include giving to me. I'm not going to lie, it sounds a little daunting. But at the same time I am excited to try."

Update: The bracelets arrived right after I published this post!