Society encourages us to focus hard on “doing, achieving and having”. According to Professor Paul Gilbert, though, we would likely be much happier if we instead worked on being more compassionate to ourselves and others.

In this episode Andrew and Paul discuss:

⭐️Why being compassionate ISN’T being weak

⭐️Three key pillars of compassion: assertiveness, forgiveness & apology

⭐️Why compassion increases feelings of contentment and wellbeing. 

⭐️Exercises you can do to become more compassionate

⭐️The vagus nerve and its role in regulating anxiety and moods.

Professor Paul Gilbert Paul Gilbert FBPsS, PhD, OBE is the Founder and President of The Compassionate Mind Foundation. He is also Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and honorary visiting Prof at the University of Queensland. Paul was made a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1993, president of the BABCP for 2002-2004, and was a member of the first British Government’s NICE guidelines for depression. He has written/edited 23 books and over 300 papers and book chapters. He was awarded an OBE by the Queen in March 2011 for services to mental health.

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Read Paul Gilbert’s book The Compassionate Mind

See Paul Gilbert’s other books  

Paul Gilbert is the Founder and President of The Compassionate Mind Foundation 

Follow the Compassionate Mind Foundation on Facebook @CompMindFound, on Twitter @CompMindFound, on Instagram @compassionatemind_foundation and on LinkedIn. 

Learn more about the vagus nerve - “Everything you need to know about the vagus nerve” in Medical News Today and “This Nerve Influences Nearly Every Internal Organ. Can It Improve Our Mental State, Too?” in The New York Times.

Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall 

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