Presenting a collective international story, this book demonstrates the importance of compassion as an act of self-care in the face of change and disruption, providing guidance on how to cope under trying conditions in higher education settings.

Narelle Lemon is Associate Professor of Education at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia and an internationally recognised researcher in education and initial teacher education bringing an interdisciplinarity across education, arts, and positive psychology. Her particular research expertise and interest relate to fostering wellbeing literacy in K-12 teachers, preservice teachers, and higher degree research students and academics in the higher education sector.

Heidi Harju-Luukkainen is Professor of Education and Vice Director of Kokkola University Consortium Chydenius at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. She also works as Professor of Education at Nord University, Norway and leads two international research groups and a doctoral program.

Susanne Garvis is Professor of Early Childhood Education at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. She is an international expert in policy, quality, and learning with early childhood education and care and has worked in Sweden and Australia. Her work has informed government policy around the world.

1. Caring for self and others through challenging times: Interrupting the pandemic with compassion and kindness in higher education Section 1: Kindness to self during COVID-19 2. "It be's that way sometime": Mindfully recalling our time during COVID-19 3. Generating the place of self-compassion in higher education: An academic place of belonging as a catalyst of the COVID-19 pandemic Section 2: Building compassion in our teaching during a pandemic 4. Cultivating compassion in higher education: International autoethnographic approach to online teaching during COVID-19 5. "It's gonna be alright": Self-compassion for us and students during COVID-19 6. Cultivating a language of compassion in higher education Section 3: The personal and professional blur: Work-life family balance with COVID-19 7. The personal and professional blur: Work-life family balance with COVID-19 8. Spaces to care and places to share: Fostering a sense of belonging during the global pandemic through digitally mediated activity 9. Ethical responsibility in the struggle between the public and the private space: Challenges and possibilities in teacher education during the pandemic