I do do this, and it is tremendously helpful when I am stressed. This theme must be in the air right now, as it is the focus of the book I just featured too. That author, Sylvia Boorstein, stresses how restoring our connection to others through loving thoughts restores our own mind's balance. It seems counterintuitive at first, because when we are stressed we tend to think in terms of 'what do I need to fix', but her point is that then we get more and more self-absorbed, and cut-off from ourselves. By instead gradually restoring a caring connection, from ourselves outward, we calm down and can see clearly.
Susan, I know you feature a lot of compassion based practices on your site too.
