To err, fail and screw up is just what we humans do. But, having a friend along for the ride is the best way to ensure we stay happy and reasonably stable when we hit the rapids. And, of course, the best friend we can have is the one within us. This friend is the one we wake up with, the person who speaks to us just before bed, and one who is constantly there.

Trying to be a friend to yourself sounds like a odd idea initially, as we naturally imagine a friend as someone else, not as a part of our mind. But because we know how to treat our own friends with sympathy, we can do this for ourselves.

This endearing animation shows how being a friend to ourselves provides the only viable basis for living an emotionally fulfilled life.

This film is from The School of Life.