Mister Rogers’ Compassion Practice
Designed by Bearmore
Inspired by Mister Rogers (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood)What changes when you turn thoughts of compassion out to others?
Two hours that leave you sending kind thoughts to other people, instead of worrying about yourself. Swim or move some other way to settle first, then hold people in mind, write to one of them, and end at the piano.
The runsheet
Swim laps, or run blocks
Cardio trainingRogers swam at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association almost every morning of his adult life. Tom Junod called him a 'dedicated lap-swimmer'. Lap swim if you have a pool; otherwise a run, ride, or row at conversational pace works.
20 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing cardio training before meditation (compassion)
There's a useful connection here because once the heartrate slows down, the warm post-workout state can make goodwill toward yourself and others feel easier.
Holding people in mind
Meditation (compassion)Rogers prayed for people by name every morning, individuals who'd written to ask him. Borrow the idea of the practice, not necessarily the religious framing: bring specific people to mind one at a time, and hold each one with warmth.
15 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing meditation (compassion) before acts of kindness
This is an excellent pairing because an open heart from compassion meditation can make acts of kindness feel more natural and genuine.
Write a note to one person
Acts of kindnessRogers answered every fan letter personally, 50 to 100 a day, and hand-wrote prayers for people who'd asked. Pick one person. Write to them by hand, send a long voice note, or send an email you've been meaning to send.
10 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing acts of kindness before reading (mindful)
This can be a good pairing because the open, settled mindset from helping can carry into reading and make engagement easier.
Contemplative read
Reading (mindful)Rogers spent his pre-dawn hour reading his Bible. Use the slot for whatever you find contemplative: scripture, philosophy, poetry, a good essay. Phone in another room.
15 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing reading (mindful) before creating music
This can help because reading often surfaces ideas or moods that music-making can express in sound.
Playing music
Creating musicPiano was Rogers' lifelong second love and his way of settling himself. Biographer Maxwell King described it as giving him a 'chance to feel capable'. Twenty minutes of making music: keys, voice, or any instrument you've got.
20 min activityTime well spent.
1h 59m spent doing something good for yourself.
The breakdown
Burst evaluation
Wellbeing focus
About this Burst
Fred Rogers (1928 to 2003) was an American television host, Presbyterian minister, and author. He created and hosted Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the slow-paced children's series that ran on PBS for 33 years and 895 episodes. Ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1963, he took his ministry into children's television rather than a congregation. Forty-plus honorary degrees, a Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1997, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002.