The unsuspected benefits of being kind

By Carol Nader

Have you ever considered doing an act of kindness randomly, without expecting anything in return? Well, if you haven’t, I would highly suggest you give it a try. And the reason why I insist is that you’ll be the one benefitting from it, in sometimes far greater ways than the beneficiary. Don’t start thinking about how an act of kindness will credit your slate in the eyes of God, it will simply make you happier!

You may be wondering… How’s that possible? Whenever you make someone happy, or even just happier, your mirror neurons will make you, in turn and in return, feel happy. Witnessing someone else’s joy, especially if you’re part of the process, will make you feel this joy, as dopamine - the feel-good hormone - is released into your system. It’s basically a win-win situation.

You don’t have to think too hard to figure out what to do. Here are some simple examples you can commit to, daily or weekly: you can hold the door to someone, especially if you don’t know them, you can smile to people for no specific reason or say “good morning” or “have a good day” to people you come across. You can also feed a homeless person or just get them a cup of coffee or even simply ask them “how are you?”. You can help an elderly person with a heavy bag, call a lonely or a sick person just to say hello, wipe the tears of a crying child, just saying “I understand you”. The number of things you can do is infinite.

If you can take the time to write down, document and analyze what these experiences brought into your life and others’ lives, you would definitely commit to do more of them, more often. For added value, the perfect way would be to perform these acts of kindness unnoticed, with no publicity and definitely no bragging. Just as a reminder, you shouldn’t be expecting a thank you, since you should already feel grateful for the opportunity to perform your little acts of kindness and to feel utter joy.

Last but not least, keep in mind that when you die, the only thing you take with you is what you give.

Carol Nader is a Life therapist based in Lebanon. You can reach her via email on: carol.nader@hotmail.com.

If you enjoyed reading this article, please share it with your friends and networks using the little icons below.