“If there is any anxiety habit that seems particularly hard to break, it’s self-criticism, but it’s a habit that needs to be broken. When you use self-compassion rather than self-criticism to cope with stuff that doesn’t go according to plan, you’ll notice that you start making far better choices. Self-kindness creates mental space, where you can think more clearly about what problem needs to be solved, and will help give you confidence that you’ve got the goods to be able to solve your own problems.”