The Benefits Of Kindness

Saturday 17th Feb was Random acts of kindness day so I wanted to talk just a little about why i’m so passionate about this subject and just a few of the benefits that there are to being kind. 😉

Being kind is something I make sure I do every day, and something that has helped me so much in my life.

Backed by Science

It’s benefits are also backed by science.  Studies have shown that it physically changes the chemical makeup of the brain!

Random Acts of Kindness is a Positive Psychology intervention and really has the power to totally shift your day around.

In my Journal every single day I do two things.  Write down ‘nice things I did today’ and keep a tally of how many people I made smile. (If you’re interested in how I Journal you can download my template below) It’s a really simple thing to do and something that caused profound shifts in my mindset.

When we think about kindness we tend to think about it in terms of just being ‘nice’ to people.  Treat people how you would like to be treated etc.  

A lot of us actually also sometimes ‘wish’ we could be nicer, a better person.

So I’m here to give you a little extra motivation to do so and to give you a few extra facts, and a tiny bit of science about how kindness benefits other people…and us!;-)

Here are just a few of the benefits of consciously being kinder:

Kindness is essentially a natural antidepressant.

When you do a kind act for someone else it causes the brain to release ALL sorts of lovely things that make you feel awesome…serotonin (the happy hormone) and Oxytocin (the love transmitter) and Dopamine (feel good hormone).

Kindness gets you out of a bad mood.

Kindness wakes up the brain’s natural reward system and releases Dopamine which is a natural mood booster…bonus!

How do you feel when you’ve done something nice for someone else? Great right?!

Kindness protects your heart health.

Oxytocin also increases heart health by reducing blood pressure which is good for your heart…cool right?

Kindness increases positivity.  

When you’re kind, you feel good, which naturally increases your propensity to be more positive and look at things in a more positive light but it also shifts your focus to do more of the same. Then through neuroplasticity it allows you to create a habit of being more positive.

Kindness increases self worth.  

Kindness is a great way to feel good about yourself.  Think back to a time where you did something nice and someone was grateful to you, how did you feel?  More importantly, how did it make you feel about yourself?

Kindness makes you more likeable.

We all like to be liked, right?  Being a nice person and genuinely a good egg naturally makes us more likeable and people want to be around us more.

Kindness reduces stress levels.

Next time you feel stressed out do something nice for someone else.  She how you feel!

Kindess makes us happier.

If all the lovely feel good hormones and neurotransmitters weren’t enough, being kind gives us a tremendous sense of well being and doing kind act for people increases our sense of happiness, self worth and achievement.

Kindness is contagious.

The best thing about kindness is how it affects other people…and it doesn’t stop there!

All the feel good hormones that happen for you happen for the other person too.  

AND….even better…it makes the receiver of the random act of kindness what to ‘pay it forward’ and studies show there is a ripple effect that gets created so your one random act of kindness could be affecting countless more…hooray!

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Give someone a genuine compliment

Buy someone a coffee

Do the tea round in the office…without expecting one in return

Send someone a text just to tell them you love them

Cook a meal for someone

Send someone a gratitude letter

Ask the person at the checkout how THEY are

Smile at someone

Let someone take the last seat on the tube

Let a car in ahead of you

Give to charity

Volunteer

Write your other half a love note

Help someone who needs it

Don’t shout at the cold caller

Donate blood

Put a note in a friend/loved ones bag for them to find later

Put yours in the comments below!I’d love to know!

If you want to explore further or have any  questions come join me in my private community below…we’re a supportive bunch and love to help!

Fx

Fran Excell, Subconscious Success Mentor – Helping Business Owners Overcome Self Sabotage & Get More Done In Less Time at www.franexcell.com

RESOURCES:

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