Know Kindness
Be kind and practise compassion
Check out the Random Acts of Kindness website for free tools to help make kindness the norm in your home and in your workplace or school.
There are scientifically proven benefits of being kind, including:
Decreasing pain, stress, anxiety, depression and blood pressure.
Increasing self-esteem, optimism, energy, calmness, pleasure levels and lifespan!
It is therefore an absolute no brainer to be as kind as possible to every human being, every animal and every living thing on and in our beautiful planet.
Express gratitude
Gratitude is the antidote to a consumerist society that says, “You need this product to be beautiful/better/happy”, but ultimately never fulfils us. If instead we make a conscious effort to appreciate the ‘small’ things in life it can help to keep us grounded. How to do this? You can start by once per day writing down at least three things you’re grateful for on that given day – known as gratitude journaling.
Studies show that those who practise expressing gratitude:
- Have higher rates of happiness,
- Have less physical illness,
- Have pain relief,
- Get better sleep,
- See changes in brain areas associated with decision making & social reward,
- Can even help them exercise more.
By writing it down you can create a nice history to look back on of all of the things that make you happy.
Gratitude journaling can decrease stress, amplifying more of the positive feelings over negative emotions.
Some research shows a positive impact on the immune system, allowing a more broad perspective on things rather than a narrow-minded one which is associated with flight or fight mode.
A grateful mindset can make you more likely to engage in healthy behaviours such as eating better, sleeping better and exercising more. Why? Because it allows for a widened perspective on life, which means you’re more likely to have an eye on your future self.
If journaling doesn’t work for you there are many ways to express gratitude. Check out Gretchen Rubin’s top tips for leading a happier life of increased gratitude.
Further Reading
This peer-reviewed scientific paper by Kori Miller outlines 14 benefits of practising gratitude and 16 things you can do to realise the benefits.