Self-compassion in ME/CFS – can this help with coping?

By Blog Contributor: Alexandra Houston

Research suggests that having higher self-compassion can help individuals with chronic illnesses cope better with both symptoms and the distress that these illnesses can cause. This post provides some information on self-compassion, why it may be helpful for coping with the symptoms of ME/CFS and the opportunity for any interested readers to participate in an online study currently being run by Alex Houston at the University of Sheffield, UK.

What is self-compassion?

Self-compassion means adopting a kind, accepting, and non-judgmental stance towards oneself in times of failure and difficulty (Neff, 2003b). Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness when you are having a difficult time or notice something you don’t like about yourself. Instead of just ignoring your pain with a ‘stiff upper lip’ mentality or judging yourself harshly, a self-compassionate approach would be to tell yourself “this is difficult right now” and think about how you can comfort and give yourself care at that moment. It also includes acknowledging that failure and imperfection are part of the shared human experience. Self-compassion activities, like writing a compassionate letter to yourself, can help boost self-compassion and well-being.

For more information about self-compassion and access to self-compassion activities, please visit: https://self-compassion.org/

How might self-compassion be helpful in ME/CFS?

Self-compassion is proposed to be beneficial in chronic illness care through encouraging kind as opposed to critical responses to perceived setbacks and reducing stress (Sirois & Rowse, 2016). Research has found that greater self-compassion is linked to higher self-rated health in ME/CFS (Sirois, 2020) and individuals feeling better able to cope with the symptoms of their illness in diabetes (Ferrari et al., 2017) and HIV (Brion et al., 2013). Studies where individuals were asked to describe past experiences of perceived failure in a self-compassionate way found increased well-being, including people with chronic pain (Ziemer et al., 2015) and breast cancer (Przezdziecki & Sherman, 2016). Therefore, increasing self-compassion may help improve coping and wellbeing in people with ME/CFS, by reducing self-criticism and the stress this may cause.

Research participation opportunity: Self-compassion in ME/CFS

Alex is currently conducting a study for her doctoral thesis at the University of Sheffield which aims to investigate whether certain traits like self-compassion can help support people with ME/CFS manage the stress that this illness can cause, with the hope of improving quality of life for individuals with ME/CFS.

This project invites people to take part in an online anonymous survey. You will be asked to complete short questionnaires before taking part in a brief task that involves thinking about your recent experiences of having ME/CFS. The entire study is completed online via a website link provided below, and you can click through the screens at your own pace. To complete the whole study, it should take approximately 25-30 minutes. All participants who complete the full study will have a chance to enter a prize draw to win one of two £25 Amazon vouchers.

Can you help?

You are eligible to take part if all of the following apply*:

•             You currently have a diagnosis of ME/CFS provided by a medical professional.

•             Aged over 18-years-old.

•             No other significant physical health diagnoses, including memory or cognitive impairment.

•             First language English language speaker or fluent English language speaker.

*If you are unsure about any of these criteria, please contact the researcher below for clarification.

To take part, please click on this link: https://sheffieldpsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9mAiODpsCVgaKpM

If you would like to find out more, please contact: Alexandra Houston (Trainee Clinical Psychologist) Ahouston3@sheffield.ac.uk

This project is supervised by Dr Fuschia Sirois. This project has been granted ethical approval from the University of Sheffield Department of Psychology Ethics Committee. Please note that by contacting Alex for further information, you are under no obligation to take part in this research.

References

Brion, J.M., Leary, M.R., & Drabkin, A.S. (2014). Self-compassion and reactions to serious illness: The case of HIV. Journal of Health Psychology, 19(2), 218-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105312467391

Ferrari, M., Dal Cin, M., & Steele, M. (2017). Self‐compassion is associated with optimum self‐care behaviour, medical outcomes and psychological well‐being in a cross‐sectional sample of adults with diabetes. Diabetic Medicine, 34(11), 1546-1553. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.13451

Neff, K.D (2003b). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85-101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032

Przezdziecki, A., & Sherman, K.A. (2016). Modifying affective and cognitive responses regarding body image difficulties in breast cancer survivors using a self-compassion-based writing intervention. Mindfulness, 7(5), 1142-1155. DOI 10.1007/s12671-016-0557-1

Sirois, F.M. (2020). The association between self-compassion and self-rated health in 26 samples. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-8183-1

Sirois, F.M., & Rowse, G. (2016). The role of self-compassion in chronic illness care. Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management, 23(11), 521-527.

Ziemer, K.S., Fuhrmann, A., & Hoffman, M.A. (2015). Effectiveness of a positive writing intervention for chronic pain: A randomized trial. Myopain, 23(3-4), 143-154. https://doi.org/10.1080/24708593.2017.1307893