essay kindness is compassion in action

Essay on Kindness

500 words essay on kindness.

The world we live in today has been through a lot of things from world wars to epidemics, but one thing which remained constant throughout was resilience and kindness. Moreover, it was the spirit to fight back and help out each other. Kindness must be an essential and universal quality to make the world a better place. Through an essay on kindness, we will go through it in detail.

Importance of Kindness

Kindness towards nature, animals and other people has the ability to transform the world and make it a beautiful place for living. But, it is also important to remember that kindness towards you is also essential for personal growth.

Kindness is basically being polite, compassionate and thoughtful. Every religion and faith teaches its followers to be kind. Most importantly, kindness must not limit to humans but also to every living creature.

Even nature has its own way of showing kindness. For instance, the trees grow fruits for us and provide us with shade. One must not see kindness as a core value but as a fundamental behavioural element. When you are kind to your loved ones, you create a stable base.

As people are becoming more self-centred today, we must learn kindness. We must try to integrate it into ourselves. You might not know how a small act of kindness can bring about a change in someone’s life. So, be kind always.

Kindness Always Wins

There is no doubt that kindness always wins and it has been proven time and again by people. Sid is a greedy man who does not share his wealth with anyone, not even his family members.

He also does not pay his workers well. One day, he loses his bag of gold coins and loses his temper. Everyone helps him out to search for it but no one finds it. Finally, his worker’s little son finds the bag.

Upon checking the bag, he sees all the coins are there. But, his greed makes him play a trick on the poor worker. He claims that there were more coins in the bag and the worker stole them.

The issue goes to the court and the judge confirms from Sid whether his bag had more coins to which he agrees. So, the judge rules out that as Sid’s bag had more coins , the bag which the worker’s son found is not his.

Therefore, the bag gets handed to the worker as no one else claims it. Consequently, you see how the worker’s son act of kindness won and paid him well. On the other hand, how Sid’s greediness resulted in his loss only.

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Conclusion of the Essay on Kindness

It is essential for all of us to understand the value of kindness. Always remember, it does not cost anything to be kind. It may be a little compliment or it can be a grand gesture, no matter how big or small, kindness always matters. Therefore, try your best to be kind to everyone around you.

FAQ of Essay on Kindness

Question 1: Why is it important to be kind?

Answer 1: It is important to be kind because it makes one feel good about oneself. When you do things for other people and help them with anything, it makes you feel warm and that you have accomplished something. Moreover, you also get respect in return.

Question 2: Why is kindness so powerful?

Answer 2: Kindness has a lot of benefits which includes increased happiness and a healthy heart . It slows down the ageing process and also enhances relationships and connections, which will indirectly boost your health.

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Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Compassion Defined

What is compassion.

Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.

Compassion is not the same as empathy or altruism , though the concepts are related. While empathy refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions of another person, compassion is when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help. Altruism, in turn, is the kind, selfless behavior often prompted by feelings of compassion, though one can feel compassion without acting on it, and altruism isn’t always motivated by compassion.

While cynics may dismiss compassion as touchy-feely or irrational, scientists have started to map the biological basis of compassion, suggesting its deep evolutionary purpose . This research has shown that when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the “bonding hormone” oxytocin, and regions of the brain linked to empathy , caregiving , and feelings of pleasure light up, which often results in our wanting to approach and care for other people.

For more: Learn about self-compassion and compassion fatigue . Read Dacher Keltner’s essay on “The Compassionate Instinct” and Paul Ekman’s “Taxonomy of Compassion ,” which reviews different types of compassion.

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Why Practice It?

Scientific research into the measurable benefits of compassion is young. Preliminary findings suggest, however, that being compassionate can improve health, well-being, and relationships. Many scientists believe that compassion may even be vital to the survival of our species , and they’re finding that its advantages can be increased through targeted exercises and practice. Here are some of the most exciting findings from this research so far.

• Compassion makes us feel good: Compassionate action (e.g., giving to charity) activates pleasure circuits in the brain, and compassion training programs, even very brief ones, strengthen brain circuits for pleasure and reward and lead to lasting increases in self-reported happiness .
• Being compassionate—tuning in to other people in a kind and loving manner—can reduce risk of heart disease by boosting the positive effects of the Vagus Nerve , which helps to slow our heart rate .
• One compassion training program has found that it makes people more resilient to stress; it lowers stress hormones in the blood and saliva and strengthens the immune response. Compassion training may also help us worry less and be more open to our negative emotions. 
• Compassion could improve our mental health : One research review found that practicing compassion meditation improved participants’ emotional life, positive thinking, relationships, and empathy.
• Brain scans during loving-kindness meditation, which directs compassion toward suffering, suggest that, on average, compassionate people’s minds wander less about what has gone wrong in their lives, or might go wrong in the future; as a result, they’re happier.
• Practicing compassion could make us more altruistic . In turn, it may also help us overcome empathic distress and become more resilient in the face of others’ suffering.
• Compassion helps make caring parents: Brain scans show that when people experience compassion, their brains activate in neural systems known to support parental nurturance and other caregiving behaviors.
• Compassion helps make better spouses: Compassionate people are more optimistic and supportive when communicating with others.
• Compassion helps make better friends: Studies of college friendships show that when one friend sets the goal to support the other compassionately, both friends experience greater satisfaction and growth in the relationship.
• Compassion helps make better doctors: Medical students who train in compassion feel less depressed and lonely, and avoid the typical declines in compassion that happen during medical school.
• Feeling compassion for one person makes us less vindictive toward others .
• Restraining feelings of compassion chips away at our commitment to moral principles.
• Employees who receive more compassion in their workplace see themselves, their co-workers, and their organization in a more positive light, report feeling more positive emotions like joy and contentment, and are more committed to their jobs. A compassionate workplace culture is linked to less burnout, greater teamwork, and higher job satisfaction.
• More compassionate societies —those that take care of their most vulnerable members, assist other nations in need, and have children who perform more acts of kindness—are the happier ones .
• Compassionate people are more socially adept, making them less vulnerable to loneliness; loneliness has been shown to cause stress and harm the immune system .

How Do I Cultivate It?

We often talk about some people as being more compassionate than others, but research suggests compassion isn’t something you’re born with or not. Instead, it can be strengthened through targeted exercises and practice. Here are some specific, science-based activities for cultivating compassion from our new site Greater Good in Action :

• Feeling supported: Think about the people you turn to when you’re distressed and recall times when you’ve felt comforted by them, which research says can help us to feel more compassionate toward others.
• Compassion meditation: Cultivate compassion toward a loved one, yourself, a neutral person, and even an enemy.
• Put a human face on suffering: When reading the news, look for profiles of specific individuals and try to imagine what their lives have been like.
• Eliciting altruism: Create reminders of connectedness.

Compassion training programs , such as those out of Emory University and Stanford University , are revealing how we can boost feelings of compassion in ourselves and others. Here are some of the best tips to emerge out of those programs, as well as other research.

• Look for commonalities: Seeing yourself as similar to others increases feelings of compassion. A recent study shows that something as simple as tapping your fingers to the same rhythm with a stranger increases compassionate behavior.
• Calm your inner worrier: When we let our mind run wild with fear in response to someone else’s pain (e.g., What if that happens to me?), we inhibit the biological systems that enable compassion. The practice of mindfulness can help us feel safer in these situations, facilitating compassion .
• Encourage cooperation, not competition, even through subtle cues: A seminal study showed that describing a game as a “Community Game” led players to cooperate and share a reward evenly; describing the same game as a “Wall Street Game” made the players more cutthroat and less honest. This is a valuable lesson for teachers, who can promote cooperative learning in the classroom.
• See people as individuals (not abstractions) : When presented with an appeal from an anti-hunger charity, people were more likely to give money after reading about a starving girl than after reading statistics on starvation—even when those statistics were combined with the girl’s story.
• Don’t play the blame game: When we blame others for their misfortune, we feel less tenderness and concern toward them.
• Respect your inner hero: When we think we’re capable of making a difference , we’re less likely to curb our compassion.
• Notice and savor how good it feels to be compassionate. Studies have shown that practicing compassion and engaging in compassionate action bolsters brain activity in areas that signal reward .
• To cultivate compassion in kids, start by modeling kindness: Research suggests compassion is contagious , so if you want to help compassion spread in the next generation of young men and women, lead by example.
• Curb inequality: Research suggests that as people feel a greater sense of status over others , they feel less compassion.
• Don’t be a sponge : When we completely take on other people’s suffering as our own, we risk feeling personally distressed, threatened, and overwhelmed; in some cases, this can even lead to burnout . Instead, try to be receptive to other people’s feelings without adopting those feelings as your own.

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Compassion in Action: Humanizing Politics and Inspiring Global Change

By Michael Kokozos

• Oct. 8, 2019

While scrolling through social media, watching the news, or in class, students are bombarded with humanitarian crisis after humanitarian crisis. Without guidance in how to navigate these issues, young people can be left feeling helpless and overwhelmed.

That’s why Michael Kokozos, an instructor at Gulliver Preparatory School and the University of Miami in Florida, conceptualized this unit for his interdisciplinary global politics course.

Below, he suggests a framework for helping students develop an “action-orientation mind-set” or “the willingness to consider and apply practical solutions to deal with problems or situations while cultivating a critical consciousness.”

Do you teach with The Times? Tell us about it here , or browse our full collection of Reader Ideas .

A Compass for a Changing World

In an increasingly globalized world, where human suffering is more visible than ever, compassion offers us a compass: a way of being that points us toward promoting cooperation, fostering trust, ameliorating conflict, enabling human flourishing and healing the environment. In that regard, the benefits of practicing compassion in the classroom cannot be underestimated. The contagious effect has the power to transform classroom culture into a place where students feel like they belong and to make them feel they can change the world.

To help my students face the litany of seemingly endless humanitarian crises these days, I maintain the logic of the maxim “think globally, act locally.” I encourage them to think about the entire planet as they take action in their own communities by emanating or “mapping” compassion at every possible level: within oneself; as a neighbor; in their community; and as part of the world.

The New York Times has provided excellent resources to accompany this framework that have helped me and my students further define compassion, evaluate its importance in the cultivation of well-being and citizenship and consider strategies for implementation in various political situations.

How Self-Compassionate Are You? A Quiz

As any educator can attest, the process of understanding others begins with understanding oneself.

As an icebreaker or think-pair-share, I have my students take this self-compassion quiz that measures how much self-kindness or harsh self-judgment they show themselves. Their results often reveal that being kind to yourself is not always easy.

I invite students to reflect on their own levels of self-compassion, and then debate the merits of the advice: “Before you can help others, you must first help yourself.” They usually come to the consensus that humans project their pain onto others and that this reflective work is key to imagining a holistic inner-outer peace while facilitating mutual understanding across cultural divides.

For homework, I ask students to put self-compassion into action by choosing or adapting one of the exercises from this article . It details some ways to improve your self-compassion skills, such as keeping a journal, imagining how you would treat a friend in need and learning how to comfort yourself when you’re suffering.

The Kindness Game

From compassion for the self, we move to the next level of analysis: compassion for a neighbor, or, in this case, a classmate, by playing “The Kindness Game.”

For this activity, I randomly provide each of my students an envelope that contains a slip of paper with the name of one of their classmates. I then give them the following instructions: “You have 48 hours, if you choose to participate, to perform an act of care for the person listed on your piece of paper.” I remind them that, like in the real world, inaction is a political statement. So, if they choose not to participate, their grades will not be affected as long as they explain their reasoning for doing so.

The simulation has profound implications. Students discover that both action and inaction are contagious. For example, when an influential member of the class chooses not to participate, others follow. However, when a student raises the bar by their compassionate act — like one student who produced a video capturing the reasons their classmate is an asset to their community — the thoughtfulness of the other deeds increases.

Students also begin to distinguish pity, sympathy, empathy and compassion. They realize that there is a distinction between, say, being polite and actually making someone feel seen and heard. This is when I introduce the “ Spectrum of Empathy ” graph from the Nielsen Norman Group. In “ Sympathy vs. Empathy in UX ,” Sarah Gibbons explains:

There is no firm threshold that marks one’s transition from sympathy to empathy. Rather, the relation between the two is best represented on a spectrum with pity (the most disconnected and abstracted version of sympathy) on one end and compassion (the more connected and embodied version of empathy) on the other.

As we examine the graph, we discuss how higher levels of effort, understanding and engagement are key facets of compassionate action.

Compassion Mapping: Hashtag Activism

What makes #neveragain different, the protests calling for stricter gun control measures come on the heels of other youth movements, but the momentum they have gained makes them stand out..

“Children are dying.” “I will fight every single day.” “I just want to speak.” “We call B.S.” These students survived a shooting at their school. Now they’re leading a national movement for stricter gun control. Just days after the shooting, they called for school walkouts around the country, traveled to the Florida State Capitol — “You failed us” — and planned a nationwide march. Some of them can’t even vote yet. It’s clear these students are doing things differently. Here’s how. #NeverAgain is leveraging social networks to mobilize faster than most movements before it, according to experts who study the rise of social and political movements. One week after the shooting, the #NeverAgain Twitter handle is verified and has more than 81,000 followers. In just a few days, student leaders have crowdsourced more than $3 million through online campaigns and celebrity donations. They’re also handling their own crisis control by directly responding to critics. “I lost a best friend who was practically a brother, and I’m here to use my voice because I know he can’t.” These survivors are presenting their personal stories of loss as part of their fight, converting grief into power by getting in the face of adults. “So, Senator Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the N.R.A. in the future?” The #NeverAgain movement wasn’t formed in a vacuum. It’s riding on the most recent wave of youth activism, which picked up speed around 2010. Student protests ebbed after the antiwar movement of the ’60s and ’70s. “We are fed up.” Young people today are getting involved to change systemic inequalities they were raised to believe had already been taken care of. The Dreamers, students against sexual assault, Occupy Wall Street, and the Black Lives Matter movement all had strong involvement by college-educated millennials. These groups have had modest success. President Barack Obama made sure campuses did more to investigate cases of sexual assault. And he later protected Dreamers from deportation. “You can come out of the shadows and get right with the law.” It’s too early to tell if the #NeverAgain movement will sustain the momentum it needs to bring tangible change. But it’s an election year, so politicians might find their demands difficult to ignore.

These realizations lead to many other discussions, especially ones that pertain to the relationship between the individual and society. Elucidating this relationship provides a critical opportunity for me to transition from the personal and interpersonal to the institutional and cultural. Here is where I introduce the concepts of power, privilege and oppression and how they shape global politics, including peace and conflict, violence and nonviolence.

Understanding Power, Privilege and Oppression

I start by explaining the theory of the matrix of domination by Patricia Hill Collins, which reveals how aspects of identity, such as race, gender and class, operate as the overall organizing structure of power in society.

We also read this Times article on intersectionality , a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, that refers to “the complex and cumulative way different forms of discrimination like racism, sexism and classism overlap and affect people.”

Together, these resources help students understand how identity factors and oppression influence the social location of an individual.

Exploring Social Activism Throughout History

We then begin to consider what compassionate action looks like beyond the classroom. We read the article, “ 7 Times in History When Students Turned to Activism ,” which explores youth movements from Tiananmen Square to Black Lives Matter to Parkland. We discuss when and how young people have been moved to challenge the state as a result of direct, cultural or structural violence toward its people, often along intersecting axes of identity, including race, gender, sexuality, class, citizenship and disability.

Naturally, students begin to steer the conversation toward online social movements, including the merits and limits of “hashtag activism.” So, in this next assignment, I have students choose an example of national hashtag activism and map out its reach, using this handout as a guide. At each level, they identify both the impact the movement is having on others as well as what a compassionate action or response might be.

Example: Mapping the #MeToo Movement

For example, if a student chose to map the #MeToo movement, they might note the ways this movement has acted as a lens for seeing how sexual and gender-based violence has impacted people, from the individual to the global level.

At the individual level, for instance, it might be reflected in a woman’s fear of walking home alone late at night. At the national level, it is seen in the fact that sexual assault is alarmingly common in the military or that it costs the United States economy millions in resources like support groups and lost wages.

If the student were to apply an intersectional lens, they might research whether and how some groups, like Native American women, bisexual and transgender women and women with disabilities, might be among the groups that are even more vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence.

That student might then recommend an intervention such as workplace programs that prevent sexual harassment.

Analyzing Relationships of Domination and Subordination

They present their maps via Padlet , an online bulletin board application that allows them to view and comment on each other’s work. They analyze relationships of domination and subordination at the personal, interpersonal, institutional and cultural level to further understand the basis of the movement.

They also make connections among the movements, often illuminating the ways in which certain populations are dominated or controlled. This deeper understanding of the way power, privilege and oppression work in society moves them further toward taking compassionate action.

Compassion in Action: The U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis

Finally, we dive into a specific example of a global humanitarian crisis to consider compassion with regard to international relations.

Of course, you can choose from any number of crises, but, recently, the photos related to the border crossings have moved my students to focus on the conflict at the United States-Mexico border.

Humanizing the Border Crisis

We start by reading an article that helps them make sense of the issue, giving special attention to the policy of detention . We extend this by exploring other multimedia resources from The Times that help humanize the crisis. We read about what life is like for migrant children in shelters . We listen to and read first-person accounts from detained migrants. We look at interactive maps that show current fencing at the border , the location of detention centers and 911 calls from migrants.

The spirit of this task can also be applied to tracing the stories of the Syrian or Venezuelan exodus, from noting their migration patterns to evaluating their challenges of assimilation and acculturation. In fact, The Times has numerous resources that detail the global displacement of people, dispel myths of mass migration and examine their relationship to global warming .

Compassion Mapping the Issue

Compassion mapping this issue can be conceptualized literally and figuratively, and students do so in a variety of ways. Here are a few examples:

• Reflection: At this stage, students are not as inclined to feel pity, or even sympathy or empathy, as much as they are inclined to want to disrupt the crisis. They point out what a compassionate response (or lack thereof) might look like at each level — from a passer-by to a doctor to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent to a politician to a researcher. As they do so, they discover a newfound conceptualization of compassion: Compassion ought to be attentive to the needs of the most vulnerable. This requires those who want to help to see the faces and listen to the stories of those most affected, and then craft an action plan that is attuned to their needs at varying levels of analysis.

• Storytelling: This can take a few forms. It might look like a cartographic representation that prompts students to symbolize geographic features and data. Students have also produced their own podcast episodes that capture the trials and tribulations immigrants face to help audiences better understand their grueling journeys.

• Action and Analysis: Compassion mapping can also function as an overlay to the global politics levels of analysis — the individual, local, community, national and the international system — that seeks to understand highly complex problems by also integrating an action-orientation mind-set that involves working alongside and supporting the most vulnerable among us. For example, to conduct and analyze their own compassionate actions, students selected or adapted an example from an editorial by The Times, “ Children Shouldn’t Be Dying at the Border. Here’s How You Can Help .” Then, they wrote a reflection on their action.

Continuing the Conversation

If time allows, we continue the conversation with a fishbowl discussion , in which a group of students are chosen to discuss a given topic by picking one from a bowl while the rest of the class watches, listens and takes notes of the discussion. Topics include:

• Define and reflect upon the following terms : asylum-seeker, refugee, immigrant, migrant, expatriate. When do we use the terms and what do these terms suggest, not only about the law and public policy, but positions of power?

• How does the media play a role in shaping public attitudes toward migrants? Examine the immigration rhetoric in the United States and its impact, particularly as it relates to the crisis at the United States-Mexico border. (For example, examine coverage of the so-called caravan .)

After all groups have shared, the entire class is given the opportunity to discuss their ideas and questions with peers from other groups.

Fostering an Action-Orientation

It’s natural for students to experience a sense of paralysis, a numbness to the bombardment of international crises while scrolling their social media feeds or watching the news, if not during a few hours a day in a global politics course.

This is the reason, in tandem to this exposure, it is essential to foster an action-orientation, or the willingness to consider and apply practical solutions to deal with problems or situations while cultivating a critical consciousness. I have found that beginning with the individual heart and harnessing its capacity for compassion and reverberating outward is an effective and logical way to prepare students to tackle the challenges of global politics.

An educator should consider, however, that this work is emotional; this work is messy. Creating spaces in which students feel heard — their vulnerabilities celebrated as much as their ingenious attempts lauded — enhances their confidence in applying leadership skills.

Given our students’ increasing sense of conflicts both immediate and existential — from natural disasters to climate change to the fragility of democracy — it is incumbent upon us as educators to meet them where they are and to support them in finding the tools they need to make their compassion in action plans come alive.

More Compassion in Action Resources

“ Kindness Is a Skill ”

I try to model compassion in my classroom. In this Times column, the Opinion writer, David Brooks, offers practical tips for cultivating kindness amid a heated political climate. In my classroom, we occasionally “scramble the chairs.” I also have students create their own personalized name tags that I randomize on desks to mix up the classroom dynamic, interrupt potential inequities and facilitate new perspectives.

The Compassion Games

This interactive website promotes community engagement by holding annual “competitions” involving random acts of kindness and compassion missions. I like to refer to the Compassion Report Map , which provides an exemplar of compassion mapping as much as it also provides an opportunity for students to participate and share the ways in which they are having an impact on their communities.

Compassionate Leadership

This site provides resources for educators, including online training, and compassionate leadership activities. One particular resource I like to use is the assessment rubric for individuals and groups .

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• v.66(648); July 2016

Compassion and the science of kindness: Harvard Davis Lecture 2015

Introduction.

The Francis Report 1 was unequivocal in its findings. The Mid Staffordshire Trust had allowed the following to happen:

‘ Patients were left in excrement in soiled bed clothes for lengthy periods ’ and ‘ Water was left out of reach’.

Robert Francis observed that:

‘ Staff treated patients and those close to them with what appeared to be callous indifference. ’

And, in conclusion, he wrote that:

‘ Patients must be the first priority in all of what the NHS does … (and) receive effective care from caring, compassionate and committed staff, working within a common culture. ’ 1

What went on in the Mid Staffs Trust is a chilling indictment of what happens when we lose sight of the importance of kindness when caring for our patients.

This lecture is about the importance of kindness in the consultation and in our relationships with others. It is based on a lecture given to RCGP Wales and is a brief synopsis of its content. Unfortunately, space does not permit a detailed examination of the key themes of the lecture. Interested readers are, therefore, invited to read the full text through the link at the end of this paper. In summary, my main contentions are that it is kindness which makes us human , builds resilience, and makes us better doctors and better people.

DEFINITIONS

Although we may not be sure exactly what kindness is, we can all recognise it when we see it! Indeed, it is often the case than nothing upsets us more than when someone is being deliberately unkind to us or others. How to define kindness?

Cole-King and Gilbert have defined compassion (or kindness) as being ‘ sensitivity to the distress of … others with a commitment to try and do something about it’. 2 The key point here is that, if we are to be kind, then not only do we need to be sensitive to the suffering of others, but we also need to make a constructive response in such circumstances. Kindness requires action.

Kindness, therefore, is not an ‘optional extra’ only to be deployed when we have sufficient time and energy, nor should it be instrumental in achieving another purpose such as meeting targets. Kindness should be central to our engagement with others (for example, in the consultation) because it is central to healing.

The RCGP motto is Cum Scientia Caritas — scientific knowledge applied with compassion. Caritas will be defined here as the open-heartedness or generosity of spirit demonstrated by a doctor or nurse when caring for a patient. It will be used synonymously with kindness, compassion, altruism, and generosity because space does not permit a more detailed exploration here.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

The origins of kindness lie in ‘kinship’ but over the centuries its meaning and purpose have been expressed in different ways. In the Victorian era, for example, kindness became feminised and synonymous with sentimentality. 3 The Victorian housewife became The Angel in the House 4 and men feared that too much sympathy might erode their gravitas and cloud their thinking on important matters!

Darwin, in The Descent of Man , was clear that sympathy and cooperation were innate and key to evolutionary success 5 and although Dawkins in The Selfish Gene described the ‘ gene’s law of universal ruthlessness and selfishness ’, 6 he emphasised also the crucial importance of teaching our children both generosity and altruism.

Freud described all kindness as seduction 7 and argued that it is therefore only exercised for unconscious (or conscious) ulterior motives for a specific purpose.

However, I believe that altruism remains alive and well in our society. Richard Titmuss, for example, in his classic study The Gift Relationship reported that more than 98% of blood donors give blood for someone they have never met, nor indeed are ever likely to meet. 8 The NHS itself, of course, is founded on great altruistic principles: the idea that through collective provision high-quality health care can be delivered to those who most need it, even though we will never meet those most in need of that care.

Despite all of its problems, the NHS is still loved and valued by the majority of people in this country who recognise its fundamental altruistic importance to our society.

THE NEUROSCIENCE OF KINDNESS

Ballatt and Campling in their 2011 book, Intelligent Kindness: Reforming the Culture of Healthcare , 9 summarise some of the evidence for the impact that kindness can have on our own brains. 9

For example, in altruistic individuals, increased activity in the posterior superior temporal cortex has been reported (when compared with less altruistic individuals). Individual acts of kindness release both endorphins and oxytocin, and create new neural connections. The implications for such plasticity of the brain are that altruism and kindness become self-authenticating.

In other words, kindness can become a self-reinforcing habit requiring less and less effort to exercise. Indeed, data from functional magnetic resonance (FMR) scans show that even the act of imagining compassion and kindness activates the soothing and affiliation component of the emotional regulation system of the brain. 10

There is also some evidence to link the importance of kindness with healing, and the impact of the quality of the interaction between a health professional and a patient on the placebo effect is well recognised. There are also claims of improved diagnostic accuracy associated with empathic staff — as well as an observed effect of kindness on promoting healing and reducing anxiety. In a randomised controlled trial of ‘compassionate care’ for the homeless in an emergency department, frequent attenders received either ‘usual care’ or a compassionate care ‘package’. The outcomes included fewer repeat visits and increased satisfaction with their care in the intervention group. 11

KINDNESS AND WORKLOAD

It is generally agreed that our current workload in general practice is not only unsustainable but also gradually increasing. More than 15 million of us already have long-term conditions and these account for some 70% of the NHS spend and more than 50% of all our consultations as GPs. 12

If we are to address the current workload crisis, we need to find new ways of working and the Five Year Forward View (Vanguards programme) provides us with opportunities to do this. 13 Central to the Vanguards programme is the idea of person-centred care 14 and it is my view that our most underutilised and indeed our greatest resource is the desire and willingness of our patients to contribute to their own care.

One of the key aspects of care that patients most value is that of kindness (compassion) in the consultation. However, the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and the resultant emphasis on the biomedical aspects of care have made it more difficult for us to practise ‘holistic’ care and engage with our patients in a compassionate way. For example, Carolyn Chew-Graham and colleagues showed that the use of QOF patient templates during the consultation makes holistic engagement with patients more difficult. 15

In the current workload crisis do we have time for kindness?

With the rapid increase in the numbers of people with long-term conditions and the importance of supporting self-management, I wish to argue that we cannot afford not to be kind in the consultation. Being kind is what to do when ‘working harder isn’t working’. 16 It may sound counterintuitive but, actually, taking the time to be kind by engaging our patients more fully in their own care, can reduce our workload and increase our resilience. This is because our individual acts of kindness will be reciprocated by our patients, strengthening our relationship with them and improving our own wellbeing.

I believe that kindness is good for us as well as our patients, and, furthermore, kindness builds our resilience.

KINDNESS: A VIRTUOUS CYCLE

If kindness is such an important component of care, can it be taught? Gilbert has described some of the attributes and skills for compassion that are necessary for the provision of compassionate care. 17 The necessary attributes include sympathy, distress tolerance, empathy, and non-judgement, coupled with a sensitivity and care for wellbeing. Such attributes are necessary for engagement of others, and, once engaged with others, the skills of imagery, reasoning, and attention are all required.

Kindness cannot be faked — most of us will be familiar with the insincerity of the brief professional ‘half-smile’ of overworked air cabin crew, and how such insincerity undermines the trust necessary for ‘real’ kindness to be both expressed and meaningful to our patients. However, although we can identify some of the skills and attributes necessary for the expression of kindness, it is attitudinal change that is a prerequisite for the expression of kindness in the consultation; in other words, despite the efforts of some NHS management, kindness cannot be mandated.

Ballatt and Campling describe a virtuous cycle of kindness whereby kindness directs attentiveness , which in turn enables attunement , which builds trust between ourselves and our patients. 9 This trust generates a therapeutic alliance that produces better outcomes for patients. As it turns, this virtuous cycle can reduce anxiety and defensiveness, and reinforce the conditions for kindness to take place. Such cycles not only can improve the care of our patients but they also can reduce our own stress and improve our morale in the face of overwhelming demand. These virtuous cycles are the polar opposite of the ‘downward spiral’ that can arise from ‘burnout’ and overwork, in turn leading to poor morale and loss of confidence and belief in what we are doing.

Why is kindness important?

‘ Kindness (compassion) is a gift freely given by one person to another in the health service — just like anywhere else. ’ 18

Chadwick’s definition above is a good one — it gives us a pragmatic definition to underpin our care of patients. In addition, thinking of kindness as a ‘gift freely given’ often chimes with our original motivation to become doctors — that is, the desire to help and look after others. And most of us would agree that ‘ kindness encourages a feeling of aliveness and creates the kind of intimacy and involvement with other people that deep down we crave’. 3

Kindness is important for both ourselves and our patients. The Schwartz Centre for Compassionate Healthcare in Boston is named after Kenneth Schwartz, who was a healthcare lawyer with a young family who died at the age of 40 from lung cancer. He described the ordeal of his treatment as being ‘ punctuated by moments of exquisite compassion ’ and how the ‘ simple human touch from his care givers made the unbearable bearable’. 19

I believe this should resonate for all of us whether we are the recipient of acts of kindness or the person offering this gift to others. I leave you with the words of Hippocrates who knew full well the importance of kindness (comfort) when caring for our patients. He famously said that as doctors we should:

‘ Cure sometimes, treat often, and comfort always. ’

Freely submitted; externally peer reviewed.

Competing interests

The author has declared no competing interests.

This is an abridged version of the Harvard Davis Lecture delivered to RCGP Wales in Llandudno on 12 November 2015. The full text can be accessed at http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/medicine/research/aupmc .

Kindness and Compassion for Adults

What are they.

Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” It is defined as the feeling that arises when you perceive another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering.

Compassion can arise from empathy –the more general ability to understand and feel others’ emotions–but goes further by also including the desire to help. Of course, we can feel compassion without acting on it, and not all helpful acts are motivated by compassion.

When compassion does lead to action, we often call the result kindness . Kindness always includes the intention to benefit other people, especially (though not always) at a cost or risk to ourselves.

Research has shown that compassion and kindness are deeply rooted in human nature–our first impulse is to cooperate rather than compete. Even toddlers spontaneously help people in need out of genuine concern for their welfare.

A high school teacher notices that one of his students is walking more slowly these days, with his shoulders slumped and a sad look on his face. The teacher takes the student aside after class, asking if anything is the matter, and learns that the student’s mother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Having lost his own mother at a young age to illness, the teacher’s empathy quickly turns into compassion. He acknowledges the difficult emotions that the student is feeling and offers to put him in touch with a counselor at the school. Moving forward, the teacher checks in regularly with the student, making adjustments to assignments and other classwork as needed.

A school principal who taught for 20 years before becoming an administrator is concerned for the well-being of her staff in the new school year. Before school begins, she takes the time to check in with each staff member in order to create a personal connection, and asks for their ideas of how to prioritize care for the staff. The principal takes these ideas to the first staff meeting and together the staff creates a plan to put their ideas into action.

A new middle school teacher is eager to begin the school year, envisioning a classroom in which all students are motivated to learn, but quickly realizes how difficult it is to make her vision a reality. Not wanting to appear less than perfect, she silently suffers and finds it hard to ask for help. Three months into the school year, another teacher notices the exhaustion on the new teacher’s face and starts checking in with her on a regular basis. The new teacher responds to her colleague’s kindness and realizes that it’s safe to ask for advice. She joins a professional learning community at her school, offering her even more support, and eventually becomes a leader in providing new teacher support.

Why Are They Important?

Research has found that practicing compassion and kindness can improve our health, well-being, and relationships. Of course, beyond our own lives, these qualities strengthen our communities and may even be vital to the survival of our species as a whole.

Kindness and compassion make us happier.

• Compassion training programs, even very brief ones, strengthen reward circuits in the brain and lead to lasting increases in self-reported happiness.
• Compassion training also enables us be more altruistic , and kindness does seem to be its own reward —giving to others activates those pleasure circuits and actually makes people happier than spending money on themselves.

Compassion makes us more resilient.

• Feeling compassion helps us to overcome empathic distress —or the feeling for others that makes us so upset that we want to run away rather than help. We are better able to handle the strong emotions that occur when faced with others’ suffering.

Kindness and compassion are good for our health.

• Feeling compassionate can reduce the risk of heart disease by helping slow the heart rate , and compassion training has been shown to reduce stress hormones and boost the immune system.
• Acts of kindness such as donating money help lower blood pressure .
• People who volunteer are healthier overall, and seniors who volunteer or regularly help relatives and friends have a significantly lower chance of dying .
• Helping others helps people fight addiction .

Kindness and compassion improve our relationships.

• Compassion is associated with more satisfaction and growth in friendships and makes us less vindictive towards others.
• Compassionate behavior is also highly valued in romantic relationships: In surveys of over 10,000 people across 37 cultures, kindness was rated the most important quality in a mate, and the only one universally required.
• Altruism promotes social connections in general and creates ripple effects of generosity in communities.

Kindness and compassion benefit our schools.

• Employees who receive more compassion in their workplace see themselves, their co-workers, and their organization in a more positive light and are more committed to their jobs.
• A compassionate workplace culture is linked to less burnout, greater teamwork, and higher job satisfaction.
• When teachers show kindness (e.g., warmth and child-centered practices), students show increased empathy and prosocial behavior.

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Mindful Self-Compassion for Adults

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Compassion And Kindness So Important In Our Lives

Compassion and kindness are two things that everyone knows. But not in the workplace and not really in school either. This dilemma has caused many in academia and the workforce to experience more depression, laziness, and mental health struggles show less humanity to one another. Within this dichotomy of wanting to show more compassion and kindness or obey the norms of academia and the workforce where stress and prioritizing work over oneself is common. Thus, the pandemic causes this work and life balance to overlap, and intersecting people are becoming more overwhelmed. It seems that compassion and kindness can influence job satisfaction and workplace management in which employee you should apply these.

Kindness is needed especially in the pandemic it’s taking a toll on everyone. Specifically, students and workers, due to it being emotionally taxing as well as heightening many other struggles. In the article “Practicing compassion increases happiness and self-esteem “by Myriam Mongrain they concluded in their study that practicing compassion and kindness has a long-term positive effect on participants. Which can contribute towards everybody in the workplace having better performance and overall employee satisfaction. And from this higher employee satisfaction in a manner in which the employees are more likely to offer their skill set as well as having higher productivity because of feeling more encouraged due to the positive reinforcement by their workplace. As well as students not feeling as stressed because of having support whether it is emotional, mental, or physical primarily in the pandemic due to having little to no outlets to express how they may feel in their lives because of not being able to socialize which is affecting everyone. 

While compassion may be something that is overlooked in the professional world because of workers not seeing it as valuable to their job it is especially in a dire situation like the pandemic. In the source “Analysis of compassion in accounting and business students overall by gender” by Michelle Hannah the author's result from the study shows a significant difference in levels of compassion between male and female students. This is very startling due to student's views having an impact on their further pursuits and careers. The difference between the students’ can be translated in company policies and how they tend to overlook workers' sick leave, parental leave, and vacation time seeing it as a waste of time rather than them prioritizing their health that'll help them in the future. Furthermore, perpetrating selfishness in the workplace may decrease wanting to collaborate because one the other participants showing much more compassion than themselves. Due to compassion being a human emotion it should be implied that showing it to others would help more in someone’s career than not all. Currently, in the upcoming workforce, there is this mindset in some people that compassion and emotions will not help anyone and anyone and has no ties with making lives better. Like employees' students are becoming less compassionate as time progresses given, they are using technology more than ever in these circumstances.  

Subsequently, kindness is seen as secondary to a task in the workforce. Kindness is often not as expressed due to workers being overly stressed in which this stress causes them to quit, go to the doctor more often, and overall be a worse person. In this editorial “Acts of kindness reduce depression in individuals low on agreeableness.” By Myriam Mongrain, the writer conducted and overviewed a study on how acts of kindness and compassion interventions lower depression in which the results were decreasing when acts of kindness were introduced over a period. From this study, it can be insinuated that kindness and compassion would help everyone in the pandemic primarily students, and with it can help lessen employee turnover rates and overall work performance. 

As a result of kindness, some underlying issues are employees feeling as though kindness may be constantly needed from them by their co-workers and others which may increase resentment between them and the other party. Although employees may feel that students may feel similarly to workers due to having similar schedules and most likely staying at home where few may avoid doing work because of procrastination. Moreover, some students and workers may take advantage of kindness to their schooling or employment besides them not needing to. Following some students and workers may not reach the expectations given to them by others and be taken advantage of by their co-workers or peers. And develop a constant need for the kindness that can’t we meet in the manner they would like it to. 

For all, we may know kindness and compassion while it may be two traits that are not seen that often in academia and the workforce are extremely valuable traits to have. Overall, the extent of hardship people going through right now has never been seen before in the modern era. Whether it may be students, workers, or a CEO there will always be someone who would need an extra bit of kindness or compassion.

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Essay on Act of Kindness

Students are often asked to write an essay on Act of Kindness in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Act of Kindness

Understanding kindness.

Kindness is a quality that involves being friendly, generous, and considerate. Small acts of kindness can make a big difference in other people’s lives in ways we may not even realize.

Importance of Kindness

Kindness is important because it broadens life’s frame of reference. People who are kind are happier and they spread positivity around them.

Examples of Kindness

Simple acts like giving a smile to a stranger, helping an elderly cross the road, or sharing your lunch with a friend are all acts of kindness.

Kindness is a simple yet powerful way to show others that they matter and are valued.

Also check:

• Paragraph on Act of Kindness

250 Words Essay on Act of Kindness

The essence of kindness.

Kindness, a simple act that holds immense power, has the potential to transform lives in a profound manner. It’s a universal language that transcends borders, cultures, and religions, and is fundamental to human existence.

The Impact of Kindness

The ripple effect of a single act of kindness can be far-reaching. It not only uplifts the recipient’s spirits, but also positively influences the benefactor’s psychological wellbeing. Studies suggest that kindness stimulates the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that induces feelings of happiness and contentment.

Kindness and Society

In a society often marred by strife and discord, acts of kindness serve as a potent antidote. They foster social cohesion, promote empathy and understanding, and counteract the detrimental effects of stress, aggression, and antisocial behavior.

Kindness as a Learned Behavior

Kindness is not an innate trait, but a learned behavior. It requires conscious effort and practice to cultivate. Educational institutions play a crucial role in promoting kindness, instilling in students the values of compassion, empathy, and respect for others.

In conclusion, acts of kindness, no matter how small, have the power to make a significant difference in the world. As we navigate the complexities of life, let us remember that kindness costs nothing, but its value is immeasurable. It is the cornerstone of a harmonious society and a testament to the strength of the human spirit.

500 Words Essay on Act of Kindness

Kindness is a universal language that transcends all barriers. It is the act of demonstrating love, compassion, and empathy towards others, regardless of their race, religion, or social status. Kindness is a virtue that is not only beneficial to the recipient but also to the person who practices it.

Impact of Kindness on Society

Kindness has a profound impact on society. It fosters a sense of community and mutual respect among individuals. When people are kind to each other, they create a positive environment that encourages cooperation and harmony. Kindness can also be a powerful tool for social change. It can help to alleviate social inequalities and injustices by promoting understanding and acceptance.

Kindness and Psychological Well-being

The act of kindness has significant implications for psychological well-being. It can increase happiness, reduce stress, and improve mental health. When we perform acts of kindness, our brain releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller. This release induces a feeling of well-being and satisfaction, often referred to as the “helper’s high”. Furthermore, kindness can help to build self-esteem and a positive self-image, as it allows individuals to feel valued and appreciated.

Kindness and Physical Health

Kindness also has physiological benefits. It can lower blood pressure, reduce heart disease, and boost the immune system. This is because acts of kindness often result in feelings of happiness and contentment, which can have a positive impact on physical health.

Kindness in Practice

Kindness can be practiced in many ways. It can be as simple as a smile, a kind word, or a thoughtful gesture. It can also involve more substantial acts, such as volunteering, donating to charity, or helping someone in need. Despite the form it takes, the act of kindness always has the potential to make a significant difference in someone’s life.

The Ripple Effect of Kindness

Kindness creates a ripple effect. When we are kind to someone, they are more likely to be kind to others. This cycle of kindness can spread throughout a community, creating a culture of empathy and respect. Moreover, kindness can inspire others to act similarly, thus perpetuating the cycle.

In conclusion, kindness is a powerful force that can transform individuals and societies. It has psychological, physical, and societal benefits, making it an essential aspect of human interaction. By practicing kindness, we can create a more compassionate and understanding world. As college students, we are in a unique position to foster this culture of kindness. By incorporating kindness into our daily lives, we can create a ripple effect that extends beyond our immediate environment, contributing to a more harmonious and empathetic society.

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• Neuroscience

Kindness and Compassion Are Good for Your Brain

Research shows that practicing both can make positive neural changes..

Posted October 28, 2022 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods

• Kindness and compassion should be important parts of our everyday life.
• Research suggests that self-compassion may serve as a protective factor against stress-induced inflammation and inflammation-related diseases.
• People who practice self-compassion are more motivated to improve themselves.

Everybody seems to know what kindness means. Generally, it’s a tendency to feel concern for others. However, in our busy and stressful lives, we don’t always remember to practice it.

Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” It means feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others and also includes the desire to take action that will alleviate others’ distress. The Dalai Lama once said, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

Research shows that practicing kindness and compassion makes positive changes in our brains. In a 2013 study (Leung, M.K. et al.), the researchers studied brain activity in people who practice loving-kindness meditations (LKM). The results suggest that LKM increases gray matter volume in the part of the brain that is associated with affective regulation.

In another study (Lee, T.M. et al., 2012), the results suggested that LKM practice is associated with activity in emotion processing regions, which may result in better emotional regulation .

Research studies on compassion training (Klimecki, O.M. et al 2014) indicated that it increases activities in parts of the brain involved in emotional regulation, mood regulation, decision-making , and helps overcome empathic distress and strengthens resilience .

Compassion and little acts of kindness can make a big difference. However, don’t feel guilty if you had a bad day and weren’t kind or compassionate enough. Try again the next day. Life can be difficult, but do not forget that others have bad days as well, and theirs may even be worse. We don’t know until they tell us. If somebody is rude to you, it’s about them, not about you. You can answer them with kindness and compassion.

Don’t forget to be kind and compassionate to yourself. Research suggests that self-compassion may serve as a protective factor against stress-induced inflammation and inflammation-related diseases (Breines, J. G. et al. 2014). Treat your body well by eating healthy and exercising, practicing mindfulness , and doing other things that make you feel good about yourself. If you’re kind and compassionate to yourself, it’ll be easier to have the same attitude toward others.

If you want to change bad habits or behaviors, instead of beating yourself up, start with self-compassion. According to a study from UCLA at Berkeley, people who practice self-compassion are more motivated to improve themselves (Breines, J. G. and Chen, S. 2012). You can also practice compassion by doing some compassionate things, such as volunteering to work with animals or people in need, giving money to your favorite charity, or simply being a shoulder to lean on for another person. It will instantly make you feel better.

Being compassionate to yourself also means being careful not to overextend or overcommit yourself at the expense of your physical and emotional health. Be compassionate to yourself first. You don’t need to drive your friend to the airport when you have multiple commitments that day, and you don’t have to agree to do another retreat for your church if you’ve already done a few and have other commitments scheduled. If you feel that you have too much on your plate, you probably do have too much on your plate and need to slow down in order to keep your sanity. Being stressed out, frustrated, and tired most of the time isn’t good for you or the people around you. It will cause unnecessary stress, tension, and conflicts in your social environment.

If you believe in karma, which is a spiritual law of cause and effect in Eastern religions, or other laws of the universe, you know that any act of kindness and compassion that you do to another person will come back to you. The same happens with unkindness and any bad act. It may not necessarily come immediately, or it may come in a different form, but it will show up in your life. If you helped another person get through their difficult day, somebody else may help you when you have a flat tire, or when you’re sick, your neighbor will shovel snow from your driveway. This is the true power of kindness and compassion.

Leung, M.K. et al. “Increased gray matter volume in the right angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri in loving-kindness meditators.” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2013.

Lee, T.M. et al.(2012) “Distinct Neuronal Activity Associated with Focused-Attention Meditations and Loving-Kindness Meditations.” PloS One 7(8): e40054

Klimecki, O.M. et al. “Differential pattern of functional brain plasticity after compassion and empathy training.” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Volume 9, Issue 6, June 2014.

Breines, Juliana G., and Serena Chen. “Self-Compassion Increases Self-Improvement Motivation.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 38, no. 9 (September 2012): 1133–43.

Breines, Juliana G., Myriam V. Thoma, Danielle. Gianferante, Luke Hanlin, Xuejie Chen, and Nicolas Rohleder. “Self-Compassion as a Predictor of Interleukin-6 Response to Acute Psychosocial Stress.” Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 37 (March 2014): 109–14.

Barbara Koltuska-Haskin, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the author of How My Brain Works.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Personal Beliefs — The Role Of Compassion In My Life

The Role of Compassion in My Life

• Categories: Compassion Personal Beliefs Personal Philosophy

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Published: Mar 18, 2021

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Kindness Essay

Kindness essay is a reflection on the idea of kindness, which is an act of selflessness. Because kindness doesn’t come with the expectation of receiving anything in return, it is a great way to show your appreciation for what you have received in life.

Kindness is always an excellent choice to make in any situation. When someone feels bad or down, the kindness shown can make a person feel more supported and loved. It is an action that anyone can do.

Importance of Kindness Essay

Kindness is a simple yet powerful gesture. It can positively impact someone’s life, and the ripple effect is just as powerful. In the academic community, kindness is thought to be an attitude that influences achievement among people.

Kindness is a form of love and compassion and one that needs to spread throughout the world. It allows people to see the best in others, encouraging them to be their best selves. Allowing kindness to exist for those around us is beneficial for them and ourselves.

It is our responsibility as human beings to be kind to other people. We can be considerate and compassionate towards other people to live in peace and love. Kindness is a virtue, and it is one of the essential things in life. It shows other people that you care about them and takes away some of the pain and suffering that they may be feeling. It can also help heal others, and everyone should always try to think about how their actions will affect others before taking them.

Kindness is vital in every single person’s life. It makes the world a better place and can make someone feel loved. With the help of kindness, you can start your good deeds to make the world a better place.

You can find more essays similar to the kindness essay on BYJU’S website. Also, explore a wide range of exciting kids’ learning resources on the website.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is kindness.

Kindness is a simple gesture that can positively impact someone’s life. It also helps people be compassionate and considerate towards others.

Why is kindness important?

Kindness is important because it is our responsibility to be kind to others. This helps people to live in peace and love. As a virtue, kindness is one of the essential things in life. It helps us be empathetic towards people and extend our hands to support them.

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Compassion in Action: 15 Easy Ways to Spread Kindness

• Offer your full attention to someone “Attention is the rarest and purist form of generosity,” said French philosopher and social activist Simone Weil. Tasks, to-do lists, and texts can easily distract us from giving a person our full attention. Today, try being completely present with someone and notice what happens.
• Express sincere gratitude to a friend Do your friends and loved ones know how much you appreciate them? Bring a smile to someone’s face by sending a message or placing a phone call to say “thank you.”
• Take a photo of something beautiful, and text it to someone in your life Sometimes a simple text is all it takes to brighten the day of someone you love.
• Detach from technology for one hour and look for opportunities to be helpful Put your phone on airplane mode, move away from your computer, and take a walk or grab a bite. Open your eyes to your surroundings and notice what happens. Perhaps you can open the door for someone whose hands are full, help carry groceries, or purchase a cup of coffee for someone who looks sad.
• Arm yourself with a $5 bill in your pocket Travel through your day seeking ways to spread compassion with cash. Buy coffee for someone who seems sad, get a sandwich for someone who seems hungry, purchase a flower for a loved one (or a stranger)!
• Offer someone the benefit of the doubt Someone may be late for an appointment today. Your boss might be short with you. Your spouse might be ignoring you. Remember that we all make mistakes and might have other reasons for unskilled behavior.
• Bring back snail mail and send a letter of encouragement Remember stamps? Send a hand-written note to a friend who could use a pick-me-up. It’s a small investment of time that provides big dividends because your friend can revisit the card whenever she is feeling down.
• Greet a stranger with a smile and kind word Compassion should not just be reserved for people you know. You can brighten the days of others by looking them in the eyes and smiling. This simple act can help you feel more connected to your community.
• Practice compassionate listening When you’re with a friend or family member, listen without responding, judging, or giving advice. Most of us simply want to be heard, and it is a gift when someone truly listens with an open heart.
• Practice self-compassion and tend to your OWN suffering We can’t offer compassion to others effectively if we don’t have compassion for ourselves. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and notice if you feel tension anywhere. Imagine breathing warm compassion to your places of tension. Place your hand on your heart and soothe yourself by saying, “May I find peace.”
• Have compassion for our planet Increase awareness of your surroundings and seek out opportunities to have compassion for the Earth. You can pick up trash you see on the sidewalk, turn off lights you don’t need, and shut off the faucet while you brush your teeth.
• Compliment a colleague or loved one Research indicates that employees need an ideal praise-to-criticism ratio of 3:1 to be most effective, and healthy relationships have a 5:1 ratio of positive-to-negative interactions . You can improve your work and home atmosphere, and your kind word might make someone’s day!
• Set an intention to treat everyone with kindness today This might not be easy, but it’s worth trying. Try to bring mindfulness to your words, and refrain from saying anything negative for an entire day. If you slip, you can re-start. Your kind intention is key.
• Meet your neighbors! Garage doors and busy lives can separate us from our neighbors. Seek out a neighbor who you don’t know and introduce yourself. You never know when you might need a cup of sugar.
• Drive with patience (and reduce road rage) Try exercising patience with your fellow drivers and imagine that they, too, are trying to get to work on time or home to their loved ones. Your relaxed, post-commute state of mind might impact your entire day.

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