"I hate this. Nothing goes right."
Kaito slumped on the desk. Hiyori and Sora watched worriedly.
"What happened?" Hiyori asked gently.
"I failed at my presentation. I prepared, but got nervous and forgot everything. Embarrassed myself in front of everyone."
Sora said quietly. "Everyone fails sometimes."
"But I'm always like this. I fail at important moments. I'm really worthless."
Hiyori shook her head gently. "Kaito-kun, do you realize what you're doing now?"
"Huh?"
"Self-criticism. And quite harsh."
Kaito looked up. "But isn't it the truth?"
"One failure has become an overall evaluation of 'always' and 'worthless,'" Hiyori pointed out.
Sora supplemented. "That's a cognitive distortion. Called overgeneralization."
"Cognitive distortion?"
Hiyori began explaining. "Thought patterns that interpret things extremely or unrealistically."
"Kaito-san is interpreting one failure as 'always' failing," Sora said.
Kaito thought. "But that's really how it feels."
"Feeling and fact are different," Hiyori said gently. "You must have succeeded before."
Kaito tried to remember. "...Well, the previous presentation went reasonably well."
"See," Sora smiled. "Not 'always.'"
Hiyori continued. "Self-criticism might be motivating short-term. But long-term, it hurts self-esteem."
"Then what should I do? Ignore failure?"
"No," Hiyori shook her head. "Acknowledge failure while being kind to yourself. This is called self-compassion."
"Self-compassion?"
Sora explained. "Compassion toward yourself. When a friend fails, what would you say?"
Kaito thought. "Like 'there's next time' or 'it happens to everyone.'"
"Direct that kindness toward yourself," Hiyori said. "That's self-compassion."
"But isn't that being soft on myself?"
"No," Hiyori said clearly. "Research shows people with high self-compassion learn from failures and keep challenging themselves."
Sora added. "Self-criticism creates shrinking. Self-compassion promotes growth."
Kaito began to understand. "I see..."
Hiyori said gently. "What did you learn from today's presentation?"
Kaito thought. "...Maybe I need more practice. Especially dealing with nervousness."
"That's good learning," Hiyori acknowledged. "That's the first step toward growth."
Sora asked. "What happens when you think you're worthless?"
Kaito answered. "...I lose motivation. I think I'll fail anyway and stop challenging myself."
"Yes. Self-criticism stops action," Hiyori explained. "But self-compassion gives courage to try again."
Kaito sighed. "But being kind to myself is difficult."
"It takes practice," Hiyori said. "First, notice the voice of self-criticism. Then change that voice to one you'd use with a friend."
Sora suggested. "Instead of 'I'm worthless,' say 'I failed this time, but I can improve next time.'"
Kaito tried. "...Today's presentation failed. But that doesn't mean I'm a worthless person."
"Perfect," Hiyori smiled. "That's self-compassion."
Sora said. "No one is perfect. Failure is part of being human."
Kaito's expression relaxed. "I feel a bit better."
Hiyori said gently. "On days you feel like hating yourself, make it a day to be kind to yourself."
Kaito nodded. "I'll try."
The three sat quietly. The voice of self-criticism might not disappear. But you can respond to that voice with kindness.
"Thank you," Kaito said.
Hiyori and Sora smiled. Today again, one heart became a bit lighter.