Story Essence: By realising how hard I was on myself, how I felt 100% responsible for the failure of my marriage, how I engaged in negative self-talk, berating myself in my inner dialogue, I was able to give myself the essential gift of self-compassion. Being harsh and demanding of ourselves makes life even more difficult than it already is. Instead, by freeing ourselves of the full responsibility that we often carry all too easily, we can give ourselves this essential kindness, a compassion for our own human frailty. We are just as we are. Embracing this is life-affirming.