The Health Benefits of Being Kind
We all know just how important it is to express kindness, but did you know that how kind we are actually impacts our health? Whether you’re making a Zakat donation or helping a neighbor carry their groceries, these small acts of kindness go a long way to benefit you, as well as the person you’re helping. Therefore, there are almost zero reasons as to why we shouldn’t be expressing kindness and generosity.
Kindness is much more than behavior; in fact, it’s the harboring of a spirit of helpfulness without expecting anything in return. As a result, acts of kindness are healthy, positive, free, and simple.
Good for the Body
Since kindness contributes to feelings of compassion, empathy, self-esteem, and improves mood, it’s able to reduce your body’s level of cortisol and blood pressure. Cortisol is otherwise known as the stress hormone, and it’s this hormone that directly impact your stress levels. Creating a healthy balance of these hormones allows you to maximize your health and also live longer.
What’s more, carrying out frequent acts of kindness enables you to connect with others on a deeper level. From this, you’re less likely to suffer from feelings of loneliness, which enhances your relationships, as well as your general moods.
Additionally, performing acts of kindness can be contagious; once you perform a good deed, this encourages another person to do the same. Meanwhile, searching for ways to express kindness means that you’ll have a consistent focus, which can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety in social situations.
Good for the Mind
Kindness positively charges your brain in a physiological capacity. For instance, kindness boosts dopamine and serotonin, and these are the neurotransmitters that convey feelings of wellbeing and satisfaction. As a result, the reward/pleasure centers of your brain are activated, which can also release the natural pain killers that are endorphins.
Kindness Extends to Yourself
When you’re kind to others, it encourages you to extend this kindness to yourself, which is something we can all work on. It’s very common for people to be verbally or mentally unkind to themselves, and this is very unhealthy. For instance, this initiates a vicious cycle of getting yourself down, which will cause you emotional upset and even physical discomfort. As a rule of thumb, you should ask yourself whether you would treat someone else in the same way you’re treating yourself. If the answer is no, then you should be working to improve upon your treatment of yourself.
Kindness Influences You to Take Action
Once you start consciously performing acts of kindness, it becomes difficult to stop. Therefore, upon making a conscious effort to be kind to others, you’ll find yourself taking action more frequently to be kind to others. The more of these acts you perform, the more you’ll be able to benefit from them from a health perspective. Not only will these acts aid your personal health, but they can also aid the health of others by relieving some of the pressure that every day life inflicts upon us. After all, a problem shared is a problem halved. If you’re able to lift some of the weight from someone else, that’s certainly what you should be doing.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the power of kindness can’t be underestimated when it comes to maximizing our health and wellbeing. It goes way beyond helping us mentally and emotionally, and even plays a significant role in our physical health. Regardless of what drives you to be kind, never forget that nothing bad can come from an act of kindness. A kind self is a healthy self.
