Kindness Comes Back Tenfold

 

Many would claim that KINDNESS as a talking point is just NOT worth it as it is one of the most boring stuff to talk about.  Really?  BUT for me, KINDNESS is more than just a behavior and that art of KINDNESS involves harboring a spirit of helpfulness, being generous and considerate, and doing so without expecting anything in return.  Rather than viewing it exclusively as an action, WHY DON't we think of KINDNESS as a quality of being WHICH we all can cultivate?  Giving KINDNESS often is simple, free and health-enhancing.  One too many studies have came up with results that yielded increases in self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and that's besides improving one's mood.  Medical experts tell us too that it can decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a hormone directly correlated with stress levels.  And people WHO give of themselves in a balanced way tend to be healthier and live longer.  Indeed, Kindness Comes Back Tenfold!!!

Other studies showed that KINDNESS has been shown to increase one's sense of connectivity with others, decrease loneliness, combat low mood and improve relationships.  It also can be contagious, encouraging others to join in with their own generous deeds.  This morning, our 'Go-to Handyman' sent me a messenger message, seeking help because today is his payment deadline to settle their overdue water utility bills.  Of course, I got concerned because I CAN'T imagine my own home's water source will be disconnected.  As they say, we would rather get cut off with our electricity source rather than the water source.  A need as basic as both electricity and water utilities will be a tough call to make but I realized this morning that I just CAN'T imagine myself OR my family household being in that predicament💧💧💧

If there is another realization that gets uncorked, looking for ways to show KINDNESS can give us something to focus on, especially IF we are anxious OR stressed in certain social situations.  I did hear that physiologically, KINDNESS can positively change one's brain by boosting those levels of serotonin and dopamine.  Experts tell us that these neurotransmitters produce feelings of satisfaction and well-being and in the end, cause the pleasure and rewards centers in our brain to light up.  Endorphins, our body's natural painkiller may also be released WHEN we manifest various forms of KINDNESS [BUT I need to qualify that such manifestations of KINDNESS need to be genuine enough💚💛💜

YES, WHEN we share KINDNESS, it is NOT just HOW we treat people BUT it's also about HOW we extend those same behaviors and intentions to even our own self.  It would be the mother of all ironies if we're so KIND to everyone except to our own self?  Truth is, we have this human tendency to be good at verbally beating our own selves up WHICH does NOT work as a pep talk.  Rather, NEGATIVITY often causes us to unravel and may even create a vicious cycle of regularly letting down our own self, ouch💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Few weeks back, myself and my wife had to combine our efforts in a situation WHERE the solitary efforts of my KINDNESS was NOT sufficient.  WHAT I mean here is that at times, KINDNESS becomes a collaborative effort especially if there seems to be a gargantuan challenge tossed upon us.  And that was WHAT exactly our challenge a few weeks back.  Without getting into details, I have to admit that if I was all by myself, I would have failed in extricating someone from a highly potential tragic end.  BUT as the old cliche goes, TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE and voila, thanks God, that person's life is now back-on-track.  After all the dust settled down, myself and my wife were both thankful that it was us helping us [instead of others helping us out].  That's looking at a half-glass as half-full instead of half-empty😀😀😀