Flourish Health & Wellbeing Magazine - Dec23 - Flipbook - Page 65
How can we be
kind?
While being kind is simple, there are some
metaphorical 8ground rules9 to keep in
mind to ensure you and the recipient are
getting the most out of a kind act.
Try and do something you actually enjoy
If you don9t enjoy the kind thing you9re
doing, you9re less likely to receive the
happy benefits. On the flip-side, the
person/people on the receiving end of the
8kind9 act might see you9re not enjoying it
and perceive it as inauthentic.
Keep others in mind
At the same time, remember that although
kindness for other people can make us feel
good, we need to keep top of mind why
we9re doing it — which is for their benefit,
not ours.
Don’t overdo it
If you find you9re expending all your
energy on helping others, take a pause. It9s
easy sometimes to want to help others
when we9re feeling down to avoid thinking
about our own problems, but kindness
must start with yourself.
Also remember that helping others doesn9t
have to cost money or take a lot of time.
Simply asking "How am I going to practice
kindness today?" can help you develop
healthy daily habits. Doing this can provide
a sense of purpose and increase your
chances of performing an act of kindness
when the opportunity presents itself.
Being kind doesn9t have to involve
something big like giving money to charity.
There are numerous ways we can get the
wellbeing boost kindness can give us:
Volunteer at a local community
organisation.
Give a compliment to someone.
Offer your help and expertise to
someone who is struggling.
Buy someone a coffee or take them
out for lunch.
Donate to the less fortunate.
Do a favour for someone you know.
Open a door for someone.