Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy, compassion, improve your mood, and lower anxiety. Kindness can also decrease blood pressure, and cortisol (a stress hormone) and overall can make you feel more balanced and live longer. Kindness can help you feel more connected with others which can impact loneliness, improve low mood and enhance relationships.
Physiologically, kindness can positively change your brain. Being kind can boost serotonin and dopamine levels, giving you satisfaction and bringing light to your brain.
While it’s important to be kind to others, it is also important to be kind to yourself. Practice gratitude or self-talk. It is easy to have a negative attitude about yourself but there are ways to help you think positively. Try talking to yourself like you would talk to a friend. You wouldn’t talk to a friend the way you sometimes talk to yourself.
A simple act of kindness can reward our bodies and minds. However, this feeling will not last forever. Remember it’s important to always repeat kindness and even influence others to also be kind.
If you would like to make an appointment, call A Ray of Hope: Great Lakes Institute of Neurology and Psychiatry, at 847-268-3908 or make an appointment online today, for expert, multidisciplinary treatment.
