Kindness works wonders for your mental health
Photo by Mei-Ling Mirow on Unsplash
“Because you are giving your energy selflessly and generously, you are automatically lifted into the flow of abundance without even trying… and as we already know, what goes around comes around.” – Dennis Merritt Jones, author of The Art of Abundance: Ten Rules for a Prosperous Life.
Today, I'm sharing a random thought piece on how to start better habits to help our mental health. In this economy, there are many financial hardships, job layoffs, rent price increases, and overall instability in what each person, family structure, and country citizens hold. Instead of judging others, we can all give others grace and use our energy to better ourselves and uplift our communities.
A pro-tip for taking care of your mental health is …
Being Kind to Others!
Shocker, right?
How can being kind change your bad mood into a good one?
Being kind can contribute to your mental well-being; when you uplift others, you uplift yourself; we are all connected in this universe. The more positive energy you put out, the more it helps fight against negative vibes.
According to data collected from mentalhealth.org.uk, acts of kindness can make the world happier for everyone. They can boost confidence, happiness, and optimism. They may also encourage others to repeat the good deeds they’ve experienced themselves — contributing to a more positive community.
This information doesn’t surprise me. When I was younger and worked at Chick-fil-A in the drive-thru line, a customer would purchase the car behind them for a meal, which led to a domino effect. The following few cars would then share the kindness with the following vehicle, and so on. Imagine being one of the people whose food was paid for. How thankful would you be, and how would your interactions feel after that event? Wouldn’t you want to spread the love and find ways to show others kindness after your blessing?
What energy you put out is the energy you are telling the universe you want to receive back ..reflect on what energy you are communicating that you want when dealing with others. This includes people outside of your immediate circle.
Put your superhero cape on …. would your favorite superhero aim to be rude or highly critical to others?
Are you kind to people who don't look like you?
From a different culture than you?
Have different beliefs than you?
Have a disability?
Do you turn your nose up at homeless people in your local area? Have you ever said, “Couldn’t be me,” and told yourself that they haven’t worked hard enough? If so, it’s time to look within and determine where that line of thinking originated. Maybe you need a news station, and social media cleanse from the reporters and people you follow who reinforce that hostile rhetoric. Perhaps your insecurity about your job stability is causing you to project that onto them.
Remember, when practicing gratitude for what we have, we should include being kind to others who don't have what we have.
One thing about life is that it changes constantly. So, remember that the next time you are behind a person in a wheelchair at the grocery store and running low on patience.
Breathe! Thank God for your working legs and offer help if they struggle. Doing this will help you feel better about your positive image because you did something selfless.
As shown in the Kindness matters guide from mentalhealth.org.uk, studies have found that acts of kindness are linked to increased well-being. Helping others can also improve our support networks and encourage us to be more active, which, in turn, can enhance our self-esteem. Some evidence suggests that helping others can promote changes in the brain that are linked with happiness.
What we have today can be taken away, so humility and compassion are the cornerstones of kindness.
"How we treat others is often a reflection of how we feel about ourselves."
Think about the last interaction you had with someone.
Were you reflecting self-love in that interaction?
In life, we don't know what season we will be in; sometimes, we are in a sunny season when everything is just right. You get a bonus, have a committed partner, book not one but two travel trips, and even on a micro level, your favorite snacks go on BOGO 3 weeks consecutively!
During warmer seasons, we should all be grateful for the blessings in our lives and compassionate for others in our scope who aren't as fortunate as we are. Do you want to know why?
Change is inevitable because the four seasons have different climates. It is impossible to have a sunny season your entire life. The following season can be cold, dreary, and hard to get up in the morning, but you must. After all, you got to work because you're behind on a payment due to overspending on those trips in that last season. (Ask me how I know)
In those times, you almost expected others to give you grace and compassion because your hardships were unfair. But remember in your sunny season when you judge others for not being in the same place you are? This is why it's essential to stay in your lane and not comment negatively on others' misfortune, especially unsolicited. Much mental energy is often spent worrying and talking about others' misfortunes. It's usually presented from a place of 'concern,' but it's just gossip!
New rule: For every 30 minutes you talk about someone else, you should spend twice that time working on yourself or implementing self-care.
Would you rather spend time gossiping about a family member or cutting up old magazine materials to make a vision board? Which option would inspire you?
If you are at work, would you rather stand in the lobby talking about how someone else messed up a presentation or mind your business and finish your work early so you can leave earlier in the day? Which option benefits your work-life balance more? What would you prefer others to do to you if you were in their shoes?
Embracing being kind to others can help you prioritize yourself and your goals.
Suppose the conversation about someone else’s life choices goes from worry and concern to self-righteous gossip. We should all strive to speak up, leave the conversation, or go mute.
If you don't make not judging others a habit, you risk prematurely introducing yourself to shame during a rainy season of woes. How can you confidently face your life challenges if you have in the back of your mind all the times you rained on others' parades?
The last thing you need when you are having a hard time pushing yourself is to reflect and remember the times you judged somebody for being down and out. It is better to attempt to be neutral towards others' misfortunes. If you can help or assist, that'd be great, but talking about what's happening in people's lives doesn't help anyone.
There is power in our words; sometimes, if we aren't careful, what we send out to the world to land on another person gets boomeranged back to us in a different season or someone we know and love. This can tie into the spiritual idea of karma, but it's bigger than that. How can you be pleased with yourself if you spit out gossip, aka hatred and misery, on others?
Because we are all connected energetically, a big part of self-love is treating yourself AND others with compassion. One can not exist without the other.
Join the rest of the tribe and subscribe to my blog. You'll receive free goodies such as motivating screensavers, checklists, early access to the newest blog posts, and more.