Ways of kindness8/22/2023 Steve Siegle is a licensed professional counselor in Psychiatry & Psychology in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The program offers many ideas of how to extend kindness.įinally, I'd like to leave you with this quote: "Be kind whenever possible. How about you? Are you willing to get on the ark?Ĭonsider joining Mayo Clinic Health System's Kickstart Kindness program to start your kindness journey. Another valuable activity to encourage good listening skills and empathy is the Group Circle. The client said, "Acts of random kindness." That was a great response from a young person. Starting the day with this activity can get students in the right frame of mind to be more kind and empathetic towards one another, and it can alert you to potential problems with specific students. I recently was talking about kindness to a young client who asked if I wanted them to get on the ark. This positive focus is like planting positive seeds in your mind garden. For a homework assignment, I have invited some clients to pay attention and periodically document during the day their evidence of kindness to others and especially to themselves. Simply asking "How am I going to practice kindness today?" can be helpful. If you would not say it to your good neighbor, do not say it about yourself. This is what I call the “good neighbor policy,” which can be helpful. You wouldn't talk to your neighbor the way you sometimes talk to yourself. Rather, negativity often causes you to unravel and may even create a vicious cycle of regularly getting down on yourself. People are good at verbally beating themselves up, and rarely does that work as a pep talk. I believe you can be kinder in your own self-talk and practice gratitude. It is not just how you treat other people - it is how you extend those same behaviors and intentions to yourself as well. Endorphins, which are your body’s natural pain killer, also can be released. Being kind boosts serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters in the brain that give you feelings of satisfaction and well-being, and cause the pleasure/reward centers in your brain to light up. Paying for someones beverage in the coffee shop in the morning can prompt them to do the same. Physiologically, kindness can positively change your brain. Looking for ways to show kindness can give you a focus activity, especially if you tend to be anxious or stressed in some social situations. Kindness can increase your sense of connectivity with others, which can directly impact loneliness, improve low mood and enhance relationships in general. People who give of themselves in a balanced way also tend to be healthier and live longer. It can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a stress hormone, which directly impacts stress levels. Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. The act of giving kindness often is simple, free, positive and healthy. The art of kindness means harboring a spirit of helpfulness, as well as being generous and considerate, and doing so without expecting anything in return.
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