Kindness costs nothing, yet it is priceless. It is often unnoticed and increasingly rare. In this age — the age of litigation — which is rapidly spawning a focus on self-preservation at all costs, and a resulting growth in fear and loss of community, we are losing the simple ability to care about others.
Kindness affects all areas of our being. Being kind is a positive thing to do for the betterment of our physical, emotional and spiritual health.
It has been well-documented in health literature that positive, altruistic behaviour benefits the giver as much as the receiver. Kindness lifts mood and boosts self-esteem.
Showing kindness to those who are less fortunate helps put your problems in perspective.
In Creating Health , Deepak Chopra notes, "Happy thoughts of all kinds, from compassion to affection and kindness, have a physiological effect on the body.
"These happy thoughts have the ability to induce good health because the neurotransmitters that mediate them in the body have a positive, stimulating effect. Just as the body's immune system is weakened by feelings of anger, conflict, resentment and gloom, happy thoughts have the ability to strengthen the body's resistance to disease."
Kindness to ourselves
But what about being kind to ourselves? Surely, this is the most elusive kindness of all.
Being gentle or kind to oneself does not mean reaching for another cup of instant coffee, as we hurtle through days, trying to fit in work, relationship commitments, running a home, looking after others, along with a whole slew of other issues and problems.
By forgetting our individual needs, and putting ourselves at the bottom of the to-do list, we ultimately hurt others, because we become too fragmented and resentful to truly hear them.
Make today the day you begin to be kind to yourself. Start the day with a glass of warm water and freshly squeezed orange juice. Make a delicious salad for lunch, with all the trimmings.Book a few days away at a retreat or cottage, just to catch up with you.
Make a conscious decision to suspend judgements of others, and forgive those whom you bear a grudge against.
According to a recent study from the University of Tennessee, forgiveness can have a dramatic effect on your health.
Participants in the study were monitored as they discussed various resentments towards friends and family, and it was noted that their blood pressure rose, along with their heart rate and other stress indicators.
However, when encouraged to consciously forgive the offenders, the participants' readings returned to normal, while those who held onto their anger maintained dangerously high levels.
Begin today to show kindness at every opportunity.
Sponsor a child, book a massage, tell your friends how much you value them, utter a cheery 'good morning' to a stranger, or offer a silent blessing as they pass, pick up a bit of litter... the list is endless.
Powerful force
Too few people know how to be truly kind. Kindness is a powerful force and if we make the commitment to perform kind acts at every possible moment — to ourselves, to our fellow humans and to our entire planet — we shall reap the benefits as they ripple through every aspect of our lives.
Bo Lozoff of the Human Kindness Foundation wrote:
"In the midst of global crisis such as pollution, wars and famine, kindness may be too easily dismissed as a 'soft' issue — a luxury to be addressed after the urgent problems are solved. But kindness is the greatest need in all those areas.
"Kindness towards the environment, towards other nations, towards the needs of people who are suffering, until we reflect basic kindness in everything we do, our political gestures will be fleeting and fragile."
SHOBANA MUNIANDY is a second year Psychology student at the Griffith University in Australia.
