Self-compassion vs. Self-esteem

A few weeks ago, a friend recommended a book about Self-compassion, so I started to look into this subject and realized that most people, including myself, do not practice Self-compassion very well. However, we live in a culture where Self-esteem is an obsession, so I wanted to look into the differences between these two.

I have always tried to be a better person, a better student, a better daughter, a better wife, a better mother, a better professional, etc. the list goes on and on. I always try to be better, and although there is nothing wrong with trying to be better, I feel like it is a constant source of self-inflicted pressure in my life.

I believe that many people go through the same pattern of trying to always be better in order to feel accepted and loved, yet, somewhere along the way they forget to love themselves