5-Minute End-of-Week Self-Compassion Reset

Time needed: 5 minutes (90-90-120 seconds)

Setting: Friday afternoon/evening

Purpose: Honoring week’s efforts while practicing gentle awareness of mindfulness challenges

Week Appreciation (90 seconds)

What: Sitting quietly, reflect on:

- Three moments you showed up despite difficulty

- One time you were kinder than you had to be

- Something you navigated that felt hard

- Small evidence you’re growing/learning

  Notice: Resistance to acknowledging efforts, where you feel proud, what deserves recognition

  Why: Counters negativity bias, builds self-appreciation, honors real effort

Mindfulness Reality Check (90 seconds)

What: With gentle honesty, notice:

- Times this week you forgot to be present

- Moments you were harsh with yourself

- When mindfulness felt impossible or forced

- How hard it actually is to stay aware

  Say softly: “It’s so hard to remember to be kind to myself”

  Notice: Any judgment about “failing” at mindfulness, how self-criticism shows up

  Why: Normalizes mindfulness challenges, reduces perfectionism, builds realistic expectations

Compassionate Closing (120 seconds)

What: Place both hands on heart:

- Acknowledge: “This week asked a lot of me”

- Recognize: “I’m learning to be present, even when it’s hard”

- Offer: “May I be patient with my human struggles”

- Promise: “Small moments of awareness are enough”

  Notice: How self-compassion feels in body, what softens, where kindness naturally flows

  Why: Integrates week’s experiences with gentleness, builds sustainable self-relationship

Closing: One breath of gratitude for trying

Notice: How week feels when held with compassion

Why: Creates gentle closure and self-appreciation

Tips:

- Perfect mindfulness doesn’t exist

- Noticing the forgetting IS mindfulness

- Compassion grows through practice

- Small awareness moments count