Examen - 23 2025
November 23, 2025
Examen: Self-Compassion
SUMMARY: Looking back on your semester, reflect on the compassion you have offered others and that you have received from others so that you can better offer compassion to yourself.
PRESENTER: Emily Heitzman, Campus Minister for Faith and Justice, Campus Ministry
Transcript
We are getting to that point in the semester when things feel quite overwhelming. Our to-do lists are full, the weight of the world is incredibly heavy, our stress is high. And while we might feel like we don’t have time to slow down for a few minutes to reflect and meditate, this is exactly what our bodies and our souls need. I am very glad you are here now and took the time today to make this kind of space for yourself.
So let’s take a moment to slow down and center ourselves.
Stretch your body.
- Roll your shoulders.
- Move your neck.
- Stretch your arms and legs.
Get into a comfortable position. Either sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair or find a place to lie down.
As you get comfortable, slow and focus on your breath. Take a slow deep breath in. And slowly breathe out.
As you continue to breathe in slowly, imagine all the goodness around you filling your lungs. And as you breathe out slowly, try to release all the things that you feel anxious about and that are weighing on you.
Today we are going to reflect on our semester, and the many ways we have experienced compassion and have shared compassion with others.
Let’s first take a few moments to think of times this semester when you offered compassion to another person. This could be a friend or family member. A classmate or professor. An acquaintance or a stranger. This could be big or small or anywhere in between, like offering food to a neighbor experiencing homelessness, tutoring a child at a local after school program, showing up or advocating for your neighbors, giving someone a hug when they needed it, or holding a loved one’s hand. How have you shown compassion for others this semester?
Now reflect on some moments from this semester when you experienced compassion from someone else, particularly at a time when you needed it. These could be actions from someone you are close with, someone you hardly know or a stranger. They could be big gestures or small ones. Think about particular moments or conversations. Who has encouraged you, who has offered you support? Play those back in your mind like a scene in a movie. What happened? Who was there? What was said?
As you breathe in now, imagine the compassion you have encountered this semester filling your lungs and then the rest of your body. And as you breathe out, try to release all the things that are weighing on you.
Now I invite you to reflect on the times this semester that were challenging and yet you offered compassion to yourself.
- Where did you feel most vulnerable or wounded? How did you respond to challenges or stressors? How did you manage and get through these times?
- How did you offer compassion for yourself? What did you need and how did you respond to your needs?
You may be feeling overwhelmed at this time of year and with everything else going on in your life, in our city, country, and world. I invite you to take this time now to think about how you’ve overcome other times of stress. Remember that you got through seasons and situations that were overwhelming before. You are resilient and you are not alone.
Take some time now to express gratitude for the compassion you have received and offered. Are there any people that you would like to say thank you to? If so, when and how can you tell them thank you?
- I invite you now to reflect on how you can continue to offer compassion to yourself and to others.
- Identify one concrete action you can take the rest of this semester to promote healing and strengthen yourself. Maybe it’s taking time to talk with someone about your feelings or experiences. Maybe it is setting aside time to get off social media. Maybe it is taking 10 minutes a day to meditate, to slow your breath, to listen to peaceful music. Maybe it is taking a walk or watching a fun movie to take a break from everything.
Now if feel comfortable, put one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. As you breathe, feel the warmth and weight that your hands offer your body. Your hands have both received compassion from others and offered compassion to others this semester. As you feel the weight and warmth of your hands, take this time to acknowledge what you have received and given so far and open your heart to compassion you will continue to receive and give throughout the rest of this semester.
As you breathe, try to relax your hands, your fingers and your wrists. Feel the weight and let the tension release. Now, as you feel the weight of your hands that have offered and received so much compassion from others, receive that compassion for yourself.
As you breathe in this time, tell yourself this: I am doing a good job. I have done a lot to get to where I am today. I am worthy. I am capable. I am loved. And I am enough.
November 23, 2025
Examen: Self-Compassion
SUMMARY: Looking back on your semester, reflect on the compassion you have offered others and that you have received from others so that you can better offer compassion to yourself.
PRESENTER: Emily Heitzman, Campus Minister for Faith and Justice, Campus Ministry
Transcript
We are getting to that point in the semester when things feel quite overwhelming. Our to-do lists are full, the weight of the world is incredibly heavy, our stress is high. And while we might feel like we don’t have time to slow down for a few minutes to reflect and meditate, this is exactly what our bodies and our souls need. I am very glad you are here now and took the time today to make this kind of space for yourself.
So let’s take a moment to slow down and center ourselves.
Stretch your body.
- Roll your shoulders.
- Move your neck.
- Stretch your arms and legs.
Get into a comfortable position. Either sit in a comfortable position on the floor or in a chair or find a place to lie down.
As you get comfortable, slow and focus on your breath. Take a slow deep breath in. And slowly breathe out.
As you continue to breathe in slowly, imagine all the goodness around you filling your lungs. And as you breathe out slowly, try to release all the things that you feel anxious about and that are weighing on you.
Today we are going to reflect on our semester, and the many ways we have experienced compassion and have shared compassion with others.
Let’s first take a few moments to think of times this semester when you offered compassion to another person. This could be a friend or family member. A classmate or professor. An acquaintance or a stranger. This could be big or small or anywhere in between, like offering food to a neighbor experiencing homelessness, tutoring a child at a local after school program, showing up or advocating for your neighbors, giving someone a hug when they needed it, or holding a loved one’s hand. How have you shown compassion for others this semester?
Now reflect on some moments from this semester when you experienced compassion from someone else, particularly at a time when you needed it. These could be actions from someone you are close with, someone you hardly know or a stranger. They could be big gestures or small ones. Think about particular moments or conversations. Who has encouraged you, who has offered you support? Play those back in your mind like a scene in a movie. What happened? Who was there? What was said?
As you breathe in now, imagine the compassion you have encountered this semester filling your lungs and then the rest of your body. And as you breathe out, try to release all the things that are weighing on you.
Now I invite you to reflect on the times this semester that were challenging and yet you offered compassion to yourself.
- Where did you feel most vulnerable or wounded? How did you respond to challenges or stressors? How did you manage and get through these times?
- How did you offer compassion for yourself? What did you need and how did you respond to your needs?
You may be feeling overwhelmed at this time of year and with everything else going on in your life, in our city, country, and world. I invite you to take this time now to think about how you’ve overcome other times of stress. Remember that you got through seasons and situations that were overwhelming before. You are resilient and you are not alone.
Take some time now to express gratitude for the compassion you have received and offered. Are there any people that you would like to say thank you to? If so, when and how can you tell them thank you?
- I invite you now to reflect on how you can continue to offer compassion to yourself and to others.
- Identify one concrete action you can take the rest of this semester to promote healing and strengthen yourself. Maybe it’s taking time to talk with someone about your feelings or experiences. Maybe it is setting aside time to get off social media. Maybe it is taking 10 minutes a day to meditate, to slow your breath, to listen to peaceful music. Maybe it is taking a walk or watching a fun movie to take a break from everything.
Now if feel comfortable, put one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. As you breathe, feel the warmth and weight that your hands offer your body. Your hands have both received compassion from others and offered compassion to others this semester. As you feel the weight and warmth of your hands, take this time to acknowledge what you have received and given so far and open your heart to compassion you will continue to receive and give throughout the rest of this semester.
As you breathe, try to relax your hands, your fingers and your wrists. Feel the weight and let the tension release. Now, as you feel the weight of your hands that have offered and received so much compassion from others, receive that compassion for yourself.
As you breathe in this time, tell yourself this: I am doing a good job. I have done a lot to get to where I am today. I am worthy. I am capable. I am loved. And I am enough.