There is something
that brings people
together,
even with little understanding
of each other.
There is a Universal Language
that speaks to our Hearts.
.
It is
a Language we
can all
feel,
even without words.
It is
our way of understanding Life,
our way of communicating our
sensitivity,
and the Pathway
to being Grateful
for all we are,
all we will ever
be.
My Dear Friends,
the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts.
The Language of
Loving actions,
is so much more
than mere words
to describe them.
.
Kindness is
therapy
for the Giver.
One benefit of Kindness,
is that the Love
spreads both ways.
A little piece of each of us
dies
with the passing of those
who have shaped who we are.
Be
Eternally Grateful for the Treasure
of all of those moments.
Be Grateful
for what God has done
for all of us.
.
He
has made our Lives
to Sing.
We can
experience True Happiness
in Life.
.
Life
can become so surreal
again.
.
To be Truly Happy,
remember
that you are
Loved and Cherished.
Having a good
Heart
is a better choice.
Treat others in Life,
with the Compassion
you desire.
Even small acts of Kindness
can become Life changing
for others.
.
So
spread Happiness,
even when you feel
unhappy.
The more we give,
the more we receive,
and the more God will give
to us.
“It is More Blessed to Give
than to Receive.”
– Acts 20:35
.
The more we give,
the more we become a part of
another person.
Love
will eventually flow
to the recipient of our giving.
When we give,
we will see ourselves in them,
and be able to Love them
as ourselves.
.
Kindness is the
Key.
.
.Your Compassion
speaks to the Hearts
of others
in ways that words
never could.
Rays of Hope
are deeply felt
when your Heart is shinning
and reaching
out.
.
We are Truly
all
Brothers and Sisters,
seeds from the same
Tree of Life. And,
we are going to wake
from this Dream
of Living.
Let us add
Poetry
to our Beautiful Nature.
Our World
is a perfect Portrait
of Heavenly Nature,
with blooming Flowers,
flying Birds,
picturesque views of enchanting Beauty,
which cradle the
Heart.
Life
can be restored
from darkness to Light
and start bearing Fruit.
.
There is a meaning
in this moment,
if
we Trust in
the Lord.
There is
in every moment,
traces of dark in the Light,
traces of the Light in the dark,
pushing into a Time of termination,
and unfolding towards
the inner, center Circle
of Life.
Sometimes
the weight of Life
is placed on the wings
of a Song.
PEACE makes all things possible.
HOPE makes all things work.
LOVE makes all things Beautiful.
Listen
to your Divine Voice.
Feel
the Euphoria in the depths
of your Heart.
Your Life,
your Love,
is needed, valued, wanted
and cherished.
Healing
is like the Song
the Soul sings.
You
are transported
to distant Dimensions,
as your Soul dances
with the Energy of the Divine.
Love
causes one to become
in tune with the Heart
and to let the Harmony
flow to all levels
and connect the mind, body
and Soul.
.
In coming to know
that
God is Love,
your Heart
speaks to this moment,
and all the good
that is to come.
You
feel connected Spiritually
to the Creator
and to yourself,
deeper
than you have ever
been.
Love
lets the Song
in your Soul
sing.
Love is absolutely
Beautiful.
.
It lets the Heart
overflow
with Joy, Peace and Serenity.
Love
is always listening
to a Heavenly Melody.
It is mesmerizing,
calming and gentle
and at the same time,
so very Beautiful.
Humanity
is awakening to the power
of Prayer
in Healing.
Life is hectic,
with little Time
to breathe deeply.
Few are the moments
when we can Truly
rest.
.
The stressful pace of the World
disappears,
and tranquil moments begin
when we immerse ourselves
in reflection and
Prayer.
The melody
of each moment
is very enchanting, very serene,
when we feel at Home.
Thank God
for creating a moment
where you can rest
and take a breath,
and find comfort as well.
Pray,
and wash away
your worries and your fears.
Calm your mind.
Tomorrow is a new
and another Day.
Sleep is rest for the body,
meditation is rest for the Soul..
.
Sleep like a Baby.
You
are God’s Child.
Goodnight.
From boosting your mood to lowering stress, the power of Kindness is real. In fact, science shows the benefits of being kind are greater for the giver than the receiver. So, as Calvin Holbrook suggests, help others and help yourself, too.
Can you remember the last time a stranger was kind to you? Maybe someone held a door open or offered you help with directions in the street? Or, perhaps you can recall the last time you helped somebody. After recently carrying out a few altruistic acts myself, I wanted to find out more about the power and benefits of Kindness.
Just before Christmas I passed a homeless man sitting outside a London Tube station. Coming out of a nearby coffee shop after paying almost £3 for a flat white, I couldn’t justify spending that on a hot drink while he was sat with nothing. I started a conversation to find out how he was doing and he was thankful when I offered him some change and a banana. However, he seemed most grateful when I simply asked him what his name was. When I got up to leave, he looked directly into my eyes and gave me a genuine ‘Thank you.’
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Later that week, I spotted an elderly lady hauling a huge suitcase down some stairs – she was clearly struggling. Her face lit up with joy when I offered a hand. She was clearly touched someone had made the effort to assist, and I too walked away with a spring in my step and smile on my face.
The power of kindness: a ripple effect
In these examples the power of kindness is obvious for the recipient: they were in a moment of need and received assistance. But the power of altruism also extended to me – in fact, one major benefit of kindness is that the love spreads both ways; it’s a win-win situation.A positive sign: showing kindness is easy and free.
After connecting with these people I felt a sense of Happiness and pride to know I’d made a small but meaningful impact on their day. In fact, this feel-good sensation stayed with me for hours afterwards. Experiencing this feeling has also made it more likely that I’ll carry out more random acts of kindness in the future.
Likewise, I like to think that the power of kindness can potentially rub off on the people I’ll help out in the future, that they, in turn, will be more likely to assist others. In fact, it turns out that science backs up this kindness ‘ripple effect’.
“One major benefit of kindness is that the love spreads both ways; it’s a win-win situation.”
A 2018 study focused on employees at a Spanish company. Workers were asked to either a) perform acts of kindness for colleagues, or b) count the number of kind acts they received from coworkers. The results showed that those who received acts of kindness became happier, demonstrating the value of benevolence for the receiver.
However, those who delivered the acts of kindness benefited even more than the receivers. That’s because not only did they show a similar trend towards increased happiness, but they also had an boost in life and job satisfaction, as well as a decrease in depression.
Furthermore, the effects of altruism were contagious. Those colleagues on the receiving end of the acts of kindness ended up spontaneously paying it forward, themselves doing nice things for other colleagues. This study suggests the ripple effect really is one of the benefits of being nice.
Kindness and psychological flourishing
Further studies back up the power of kindness. In another, researchers asked members of the public to either perform acts of kindness – such as opening doors for strangers – for one month, or to perform kind acts for themselves, such as treating themselves to a new purchase.
The researchers measured the participants’ level of so-called ‘psychological flourishing’ – their emotional, psychological, and social well-being at the start and end of the experiment. By the end, those who had carried out kind acts for others had higher levels of psychological flourishing compared to those who acted kindly towards themselves. Kindly acts also led to higher levels of positive emotions.Good to give: kindness benefits both the giver and receiver
Meanwhile, another study incorporated cold hard cash to test the powers of altruism. Researchers gave participants either $5 or $20 which they had to spend either on themselves or others before the end of the day. They measured the participants’ happiness levels before giving them the money and then called them on the phone in the evening. The results? Those who had spent the money were happier than those who used the money for their own needs.
The physical effects of kindness
So, science and studies show that being kind and helpful clearly has a positive and uplifting effect on those carrying out the act. But what exactly is happening in the body when you help someone out? Here are four ways keys in which the physical benefits of kindness can be felt.
1. Kindness releases feel-good hormones
When you do kinds acts for other people, so-called happiness hormones are released, boosting your serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of well-being and satisfaction. Endorphin levels also rise, leading to a phenomenon known as a ‘helper’s high‘ (just like what I experienced).
2. Kindness can reduce anxiety
Another physical benefit of kindness is that it can help to lower anxiety. Social anxiety is associated with low positive affect (PA), which relates to an individual’s experience of positive moods such as joy, interest, and alertness. A four-week study on Happiness from the University of British Columbia found that participants who engaged in kind acts displayed major increases in their PA levels that were maintained during the study duration.
3. Kindness may help alleviate certain illness
Inflammation in the body is linked to numerous health problems including chronic pain, diabetes, obesity and migraines. For older generations at least, volunteering as an act of kindness may be of benefit to reduce inflammation. In fact, according to one study of older adults aged 57-85, “volunteering manifested the strongest association with lower levels of inflammation.”
RELATED: Why is volunteering important? These 7 reasons show the benefits
Additionally, oxytocin, also released with acts of kindness, reduces inflammation, and it can directly affect the chemical balance of your heart. According to Dr. David Hamilton, “oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide in blood vessels, which dilates the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure and therefore oxytocin is known as a ‘cardioprotective’ hormone because it protects the heart (by lowering blood pressure).”
4. Kindness can reduce your stress levels
Helping others takes you out of your own mind and can potentially help to build relationships with other people. Anything that helps you to build bonds with other people is known as ‘affiliative behavior‘.
And, according to one study on the effects of pro-social behavior — action intended to help others on stress, “affiliative behavior may be an important component of coping with stress and indicate that engaging in pro-social behavior might be an effective strategy for reducing the impact of stress on emotional functioning.”
“Science and studies show that being kind and helpful clearly has a positive and uplifting effect on those carrying out the act.”
Furthermore, once we establish an ‘affiliative connection’ with someone — a relationship of friendship, Love, or other positive bonding — we feel emotions that can boost our immune system. So, it seems continued altruism can boost your happiness and improve relationships and connections, in turn indirectly boosting your health.
Shifting to kindness
So, knowing this, why aren’t people benefiting from the power of kindness? Why aren’t more people making a conscious effort to change the lives of others?
RELATED: Kindness – a peak inside the power of this simple action
For one, in our fast-paced world, benevolence and compassion often end up taking a back seat to self-interest – and selfies. People don’t seem to take the time to stop and help others or even notice what’s going on as we’re often wrapped up in our own lives.Helping hand: the power of kindness is proven.
Also, some people believe that showing kindness and compassion is a weakness and will only lead to being taken advantage of. But, the Truth is, it’s in our Human DNA to show Kindness. In fact, we’re the only mammals with an extended gestation period, and while other animals rely on support for a short period before becoming self-reliant, we depend on the care of our caregivers to provide our needs. Indeed, kindness is fundamental to the human existence – we’re literally wired for it.
Kindness is not something that demands hard work or huge amounts of time. It’s something all of us can strive to achieve every day. And, knowing that the power of kindness and its benefits are immense for ourselves and not just the receiver, why wouldn’t you want to help others more? ●
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Written by Calvin Holbrook
Calvin is the happiness.com magazine editor, as well being an artist and lover of swimming, yoga, dancing to house/techno, and all things vintage! Find out more.
Please check back regularly
for any amendments that may occur.
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Hang on
to your Faith.
You will get there.
The most Precious Gift
is Life.
You
are Forever in my
Heart.
.
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.