Do You Want to Know How You Can Live Longer?

Try and picture this with me: you woke up this morning and you knew that it was going to be just one of those days where you’re not feeling your best. You get out of bed and struggle to find something to wear that you feel will look nice. Getting out of the house you see a grey sky that the sun cannot seem to be able to shine through. All the colours outside are dull, there are no birds chirping, and people seem to have ‘forgotten’ their smiles back at the house. This is not at all a good start, it’s something very un-motivating and something that will drain a person with every passing minute. Now, imagine that halfway throughout the day, you’re walking back to the office/class from the lunch break and you get a text from your best friend saying: You are the best and nothing is impossible for a beautiful soul like yours ;) Immediately, your day takes a turn, you smile, you’re suddenly filled with energy and what feels like an adrenaline rush. I’m sure that we have all had similar instances where something like this has happened. It does not necessarily have to be a text, it can be something you say to someone you meet that day, it can be a card, a flower, anything you wish; it just has to be a kindness done with love and thoughtfulness.

The beauty of kindness is that you can apply it to anyone, not only friends and family. Encouraging and empowering people is something that’s very close to my heart and that I’m trying to be more ‘generous’ with. Of course, there is room for improvement in me as in all human beings, but there are many new things that I’m learning and trying. In the end, it can all be summed up to this one simple sentence with two words: Be kind! I may be starting to sound like Cinderella’s mother right now, but to be fair, she was right. Being kind costs us nothing and yet it is worth everything. You don’t need to go to another country and serve there, or do these huge ‘acts of kindness’ (although I’m not discouraging this; simply trying to say that it can be so easy to be kind even from where you are). It can start by smiling to the people others don’t usually notice, say a kind word to your friend, compliment your mother on how she’s put her hair this morning, encourage strangers who are trying something new on the street, help a busy mother with groceries cross the street. There are so many things that can be done so easily, we only need to notice.

We are always so keen to state how powerful words are and what hurtful and destructive powers they have on a person. Less often do we mention that words also have ‘regenerating’ powers. Now, for those who are not convinced with ‘selfless’ acts of kindness, I say this: Being kind benefits you as well. A recent study published in Science daily has found that “engaging in random acts of kindness may help mitigate negative feelings and bolster positive ones.” So, technically, it is healthy for people to be kind. Another study found that as long as you have a purpose for doing something nice for someone it “may help you live a longer, healthier life.” So, purposeful acts are beneficial for a healthy and goal-oriented life. Now, this last fact is the most interesting one since we so often say that a good heart is ‘rewarded’ in life; “Biological chemist David R. Hamilton, PhD, author of The Five Side Effects of Kindness, explains that the emotional warmth associated with kindness may lead to a release of oxytocin—the so-called ‘love hormone.’ That, in turn, reduces levels of free radicals and inflammation, two ‘culprits,’ as he calls them, that may play a role in heart disease.”

Recapping, kindness is not only beneficial for the person on the receiving end, but for you as well. It has extremely powerful psychological and biological effects on the brain and body of a person and it has the power to improve mental and physical health. Recently I’ve started doing something new that has yielded extremely positive effects and I would be so happy to share this with you; every day try to notice one thing you like about a person you come in contact with and compliment them on that (or tell them how much you like that in/about them). It seems so simple, and it is. I’m guaranteeing you, it’s going to MAKE.THEIR.DAY! And personally, it makes me so happy to see that I’ve made someone else happy (or smile). As Andrew Iskander so beautifully puts it, “Because that’s what kindness is. It’s not doing something for someone else because they can’t, but because you can.” Kindness should not only be limited to people in need or suffering, it should be all inclusive and extended to every single person on this earth. I am the first to admit that it is a very difficult challenge because I don’t always want to be kind to everyone, but the more I try to apply what I’ve written today, the more I notice how much more colourful the world is becoming ;)

‘Till next time…

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References:

The 5 Side Effects of Kindness, David R. Hamilton.