Colleen Koch, a neurodivergent entrepreneur and Founder of NeuroKind, is offering NeuroCoaching and Training that focuses on practical compassion to fuel sustainable growth and foster connection. By redefining compassion as a tool for self-assessment and growth instead of making excuses, she helps clients tap into their executive functions and cognitive abilities to address their growth areas effectively.
Many people struggle to offer themselves compassion, as they have been taught that it equates to making excuses for themselves. This reluctance to show self-compassion often leads to self-blame and shame, hindering their ability to solve problems and access their cognitive abilities fully. Practical compassion creates space for emotional regulation, enhances cognitive capacity, and allows individuals to more clearly identify their role in addressing issues.
A case study presented by Colleen showcases how practical compassion can lead to significant insights and breakthroughs. A career-driven woman who believed she had a personal flaw causing her to work slower than her colleagues realized, through a more compassionate lens, that she was taking on double the workload to serve customers better. This realization helped her release the belief that her time management issues were rooted in an internal defect, leading to relief and a more reasoned understanding of her growth area.
To experiment with practical compassion, individuals are encouraged to pause when feeling shame, guilt, or embarrassment, and engage in analytical thinking by questioning their assumptions and beliefs. By stepping away from fixed mindset beliefs and considering their thoughts and actions in their real context, they can reduce shame, gain clarity, and identify functional solutions. Daily mood-in-context tracking can also help individuals notice downward trends earlier and develop proactive self-care plans to navigate challenging situations successfully.
Practical compassion is about recognizing and acknowledging the complexities of being human in a rapidly changing world and understanding that being kind to oneself is crucial for growth. By treating oneself with kindness and understanding, individuals can relieve suffering, create space for growth, and develop functional solutions to their challenges. This approach allows individuals to move away from self-blame and towards a more solution-focused mindset.
