"Don't Be So Hard on Yourself" is a song by English singer and songwriter Jess Glynne. It was released as the fourth single from her debut album I Cry When I Laugh on 14 August 2015. It was written by Glynne, Wayne Hector and TMS who also produced the song. Lyrically, the song tells about moving on from hard times and 'not being hard on oneself'.

The song was critically acclaimed for its lyrical content and Glynne's vocal delivery. On 14 August 2015 the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 78 based on streams alone, reaching number one the following week. The song became Glynne's fifth UK number-one single (including her featured singles), tying Cheryl Fernandez-Versini's record for the most number ones by a British female solo artist.

After the success of "Hold My Hand", Jess Glynne was featured on Tinie Tempah's single "Not Letting Go", with both songs reaching the top of the UK Singles Chart. Later, in June 2015, she went through a vocal surgery, being forced to cancel a number of shows. On 29 June 2015, she announced "Don't Be So Hard on Yourself" as the album's third single and uploaded 1:30 of the song on her SoundCloud account. It was released firstly to UK radio stations on 1 July 2015 and later received its full release on 14 August 2015, one week prior to the album's release.

"Don't Be So Hard on Yourself" was written by Jess Glynne, Wayne Hector with its producers Tom Barnes, Peter Kelleher and Ben Kohn, also known as the production team TMS. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is written in the key of G major (recorded a half-step lower in F♯ major). The song moves in common time at a tempo of 120 beats per minute, with Glynne's vocal range spanning from the low-note of D₃ to the high-note of D₅. Its instrumentation consists in piano, guitar and violins, filled with strings, glittery synths and emotive vocals. In its bridge, the song also features a "multi-tracked choir and military tattoo drums." It is a dance-pop song with influences of disco, house and soul-pop. Lyrically, it talks about overcoming a broken heart and to not let sadness defeat you. In the chorus, she sings: "Don’t be so hard on yourself, no / Learn to forgive, learn to let go / Everyone trips, everyone falls / So don’t be so hard on yourself, no." When asked about the story behind the song, she elaborated: "When I was meeting my publisher, managers and label and everything was happening for me, I was going through a really hard time. I had my heart broken and I was in a dark place. It was even harder because my dreams were coming true and I had to put a smile on my face every day and power through."

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