Kindness improves well-being
"There's compelling evidence that kindness is linked with a number of aspects of health and well-being," VanderWeele says. He is the co-director of the Initiative on Health, Spirituality, and Religion at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
There are times when showing kindness to others and us almost feels impossible because we’re stuck dwelling on past negative experiences, are frustrated or simply exhausted. However, we can develop a more sympathetic and caring mindset by identifying and resolving these issues.
Kindness is a skill that can be learned and used, not just a personality feature.
Participation question:
When do you find it difficult to be kind to yourself and others?
What helps you to return to a compassionate state of mind when facing challenges?
Helpful Videos:
Compassion Meditation | 15-Minute Guided Meditation for Compassion
Helpful Resources:
Is being kind good for your health? Science suggests yes
Seeking Help
Mental stress can cause us not to be able to see the good things in life and lead to excessive rumination or worries which can result in serious health problems. If you have serious, long-term problems with negative thinking and feeling depressed, see your doctor or talk to a therapist if they are related to any mental challenges.
Are you looking for a therapist? 7 Cups has online, certified therapists with a paid option. For more information on what happens in online therapy at 7 Cups, Read Lisa’s (a therapist and director of therapy) explanation
https://www.7cups.com/forum/therapy/General_2432/WeveLaunchedTalkTherapyon7Cups_319430/
To apply for 7 Cups online therapy, click on this link (must be logged into member account) https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1
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@amiablePeace77
When do you find it difficult to be kind to yourself and others? When I am tired or moody.
What helps you to return to a compassionate state of mind when facing challenges? Getting rest and meditating
@soulsings
I hear you soul! Getting the rest we need helps a lot in many ways.
@amiablePeace77
I never find it difficult to be kind to others!
But I'm still working everyday on being kind to myself!
💜💖
@Amanda84
It's often easier to be kind to others. Good to hear that you want to work on showing yourself the same kindness!
@amiablePeace77
I am kind and helpful to everyone I meet.
Not sure why I can't do the same for myself.
@courageouspanda2006
I find when one is very self-critical and judgmental it can be hard to have self-compassion. Does that sound familiar?
@amiablePeace77
Very hard, if not impossible, at times. I am my own worst critic.
@courageouspanda2006
I hope that one day your worst critic will become your supporter!
@amiablePeace77
I'm trying to change but running out of things to try.
I'm not sure that will be a good thing. He can be a jerk. 😆
@courageouspanda2006 the thing that works for me is to see other people as aspects of myself or aspects of who I Could be.
I do not condone the behavior of those that behave inappropriately but I do accept that everyone wants to be happy and fulfilled even if they are going in the wrong direction to create the causes for that.
@amiablePeace77
When do you find it difficult to be kind to yourself and others?
I NEVER find it difficult to to be kind to myself. With no one being kind to me I’m left with no other choice but to be kind to myself and I’m so proud of myself for that bc if I wasn’t kind to myself I would never have been blessed with the experience/knowledge of knowing what kindness is.
When it comes to others, that strongly depends on who it is. If it’s people who are friendly with me, yes I’d absolutely be kind to them but if if it’s people who aren’t kind to me, it’s not that I’d be rude to them but I’d simply just leave them alone (not walk to them, say anything to them, etc) to prevent any unnecessary problems from happening. I just wouldn’t do anything with or to them.
What helps you to return to a compassionate state of mind when facing challenges?
I don’t believe I was ever in a situation where I wasn’t compassionate. Even when I’m angry. Being kind, caring, compassionate, etc are all natural parts of who I am and bc I’m always authentic, I’m always compassionate so it’s not something I have to return to once challenges are resolved for example. I feel like if I wasn’t compassionate even if it’s temporarily gone I’d lose myself and even if I got it back I’d still be unhappy with myself and I don’t ever wanna feel unhappy or unproud of myself for any reason. And not wanting that motivates me even more to never lose any part of myself even if those losses were only temporary.
@akunknown
Compassion seems to be very important to you and that's wonderful akunknown! Setting boundaries is part of self-compassion!
@amiablePeace77
Thank you!
Yes I’ve always set boundaries that are always violated which is disrespectful but those who violate my boundaries don’t seem to care that they’re being disrespectful.
@amiablePeace77
When do you find it difficult to be kind to yourself and others?
when i can't emotionally connect to them, or haven't fully forgiven them from the past actions.
What helps you to return to a compassionate state of mind when facing challenges?
that, everyone has their own things going on, and it's good to be mindful of that, and sometimes, reminding ourselves it's okay if it takes time for us to heal from past wounds
@daydreammemories
It's a good reminder that it takes time for us to heal from past wounds - a point which we might sometimes forget!
I find it difficult to be kind to myself and others when I have not forgiven people for their hurtful actions. I am working of regaining my peace back.
Prayer and forgiveness helps me return to a compassionate state of mind when facing challenges.
Thank you for posting. Have a great day.
@Admirablerainbow2825
It's important to make peace with the past as much as possible. Glad that prayer and forgiveness help you.
@amiablePeace77 Maybe I’ve said this 100 times, but thank you for hosting these discussions. You are appreciated so much! ❤️❤️
The hardest time I’ve had being kind is when someone says they’re going to gdo something, then they don’t, but they get mad at me for not doing the same thing..
I need to not worry what they doing, just what I’m doing. Grrr. 😫😅😊🥰
@amiablePeace77 Thanks
