Forgive yourself to flourish: unlocking mental health through self-compassion

Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of self-compassion on mental well-being among Generation Z university students and young professionals in India. Specifically, it investigates the mediating roles of self-forgiveness and workplace spirituality in explaining the relationship between self-compassion and mental well-being. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative cross-sectional research design was used with the use of a structured questionnaire through purposive sampling. The data was collected from 350 respondents including university students and young professionals in India. The proposed hypotheses were tested by covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). Findings The results show that self-compassion is significantly positively associated with mental well-being. Moreover, self-forgiveness was found to be a significant mediator between self-compassion and mental health, suggesting that it is an important psychological mechanism. The mediation effect of workplace spirituality however was not statistically significant; this indicates that workplace spirituality alone may not account for the effects of self-compassion on mental well-being among young adults. Practical implications The findings provide important implications for higher educational institutions, organizations and human resource practitioners. Organizations should focus on building employees’ internal psychological resources in addition to providing a supportive work environment, as interventions that target aspects of mental health, including self-compassion and self-forgiveness, can help boost mental health among Generation Z. Originality/value This study extends the literature by integrating self-compassion, self-forgiveness, workplace spirituality and mental well-being into a single conceptual framework. It contributes to positive organizational behavior and mental health research by demonstrating that self-forgiveness, rather than workplace spirituality, serves as the primary mechanism through which self-compassion enhances mental well-being among young adults in the Indian context.