Make Kindness the Norm
“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” — Dalai Lama
Being kind is something we are taught to do from a young age. Kindness involves paying it forward out of the goodness in your heart, with no ulterior motive other than to brighten someone’s day. The Mayo Clinic describes the art of kindness as follows: “The art of kindness involves harboring a spirit of helpfulness, being generous and considerate, and doing so without expecting anything in return.”
This spirit of kindness can become more natural when you practice intentional kindness in your everyday life. While performing acts of kindness should be done just to make someone else happy, there are also benefits for the person spreading kindness.
Being kind in your daily life can:
- Increase your self-esteem, compassion and empathy
- Decrease your blood pressure and cortisol
- Increase your sense of connectivity
- Decrease loneliness
- Improve your relationships
- Boost your levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are neurotransmitters that produce feelings of satisfaction and well-being
Here are some examples of spreading kindness to help get you started:
- Compliment someone
- Send an uplifting message to a friend, a family member or a coworker
- Celebrate someone’s accomplishments
- Leave a review for your favorite local businesses
- Bring in a delicious treat for everyone to enjoy
- Call someone you haven’t spoken with in a while
- Treat someone to a cup of coffee, even if it’s a stranger behind you in line at a coffee shop
- Donate to a good cause
- Send someone a gratitude letter
- Hold the door for someone
- Smile at someone
Additionally, don’t forget to be kind to yourself. Be sure to keep your self-talk positive and practice gratitude.
This week, we challenge you to cultivate kindness by paying it forward and prioritizing your own well-being.
About the author
Megan DiPietro
Ms. Megan DiPietro is a part-time team member on the Slainte Fitness team at USLI. She recently graduated from West Chester University with a degree in Psychology. At WCU, Ms. DiPietro was involved in a health and wellness club called CHAARG which developed her passion for fitness. She got into weight lifting in 2020 which has grown her love for wellness even more.