How To Cope With Failure, According To Psychology

By Emma Young We all have times when we feel that we’ve failed — but it’s how we respond to it that really matters. Here are five findings that could help you cope with failure: 1. Be kind to yourself It’s an old one, but a good one: practise some self-compassion. Being self-compassionate entails being kind and non-judgemental towards yourself in the face of difficulty — including failure. Perhaps the best-known proponent of self-compassion is Kristin Neff at the University of Texas, Austin (you can take her self-compassion test here). Back in 2005, Neff published work finding that students who are self-compassionate in the wake of exam failure go on to study harder for future exams. More recent work has found that being kind to yourself if you feel that you’ve failed at something (and recognising that you’re far from alone in failing) is linked with better mental health. And self-compassion is even linked to greater physical health too, according to a recent study in BMC Public Health. 2. Resist “socially prescribed perfectionism” If you feel that other people expect you to be perfect, and will judge you harshly if you fail to meet their expectations, you experience this type of perfectionism. A major 2017 review of work into factors that foster resilience after failure or mistakes highlighted it as a clear risk factor: people who scored higher on this measure experienced more anxiety, depression and anger after being led to ...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Educational The self Source Type: blogs