It may be hard to believe, but we are naturally born compassionate beings. However, in today’s world that is full of negativity, frustration and anger, it can be hard to find sometimes.
Living a compassionate lifestyle means that we are more accepting of others as well as ourselves and let go of judgment. We are sympathetic listeners and try to help others in difficult situations, we let go of aggression and anger and work towards a more harmonious atmosphere at home and at work.
Being compassionate and acting kind and sympathetic towards others, will in turn bring a plethora of personal benefits and the reason why compassion leads to greater well-being for ourselves is that giving is more pleasurable than receiving as recent brain-imaging studies by neuroscientists show.
Let’s look at our TOP 10 reasons why being compassionate benefits our own well-being.
#1 Compassion Creates Stronger Bonds
Whether it’s in your professional life or in your personal life, showing another person compassion can go a long way. When someone comes to you with an issue, take a step back and try to see things from their perspective because there is a reason why they are coming to you with a certain energy. The key to a good relationship is to meet the other person where they are and then offer yourself as a resource. Seek to understand the other person and then to be understood and you will see how your relationships flourish and you can create stronger bonds.
#2 Compassion Motivates Action
While it is commendable to feel more compassionate, it isn’t really helping anyone if you don’t do anything about it. However, compassion can be an incredibly powerful and motivating force to take action. If you have decided to be more compassionate, you are much more willing to spring into action and help another person.
#3 Compassion Establishes Trust
If you show compassion and try to understand the other person before reacting to the situation that has been presented to you, you will create the foundation for trust. The other person will feel safe to express their emotions, feelings and thoughts, knowing that you won’t judge them but rather try to help figure out how to get through a challenging situation. If you can separate yourself from an immediate response and show compassion first, you can calm a difficult situation and stir it in the right direction.
#4 Compassion Lowers Stress Levels
Science has been conducting a multitude of studies on the benefits of compassion and the primary positive effects include improved health, relationships and overall well-being. While some researchers believe that compassion may be the key to the survival of the human race, new studies show that being compassionate has the power to make you more resilient to stress and can lower the amount of stress hormones that are being released into your blood.
#5 Compassion Gets Rid of the Blues
When we feel stressed, depressed or anxious, it’s easy to downward spiral into a deep funk. If you can put your focus on another person rather than being focused on your own negative feelings, you can easily turn things around. If you want to get rid of your own blues, focus on others and help them with whatever situation they are dealing with. You will gain a better perspective on your own issues and with that help yourself to work through your own feelings instead of simply living with them.
#6 Compassion Lowers Inflammation in the Body
Several studies prove that compassion is directly linked to improved mental and physical health and now a new study shows that people who are compassionate and describe themselves as happy have lower levels of inflammation on a cellular level. However, it is interesting to note that people who simply describe themselves as happy and living the good life without being compassionate, had high levels of inflammation. Being compassionate is the key ingredient to lowering inflammation.
#7 Compassion Increases Emotional Intelligence
Being emotionally intelligent means that you can be vulnerable and show your strengths as well as weaknesses to other people, you care about being a good person and emotionally intelligent people generally make great leaders. Being compassionate means that you go beyond simply being empathetic, you pay attention to others and consciously take action to help them. With this you aren’t solely focused on yourself and can hugely increase your emotional intelligence.
#8 Compassion Keeps Your Head Clear
If there is a challenging situation or something goes wrong, it is easy to react with anxiety, anger or disappointment. Compassion has the power to bring you back to being human and look at how the people involved feel. With that you get a much better sense of knowing what you need to do to repair the situation and can clear your head rather than responding in the moment with emotions and feelings that aren’t helping anyone.
#9 Compassion Helps Others to Improve Their Life
Compassion is hugely contagious and doesn’t just improve your mental health but the mental health of those around you as well. The people who feel your compassion will in turn become more compassionate and optimistic themselves and with that can significantly improve the quality of their lives and the lives of those around them. It’s a domino effect that spreads quickly and is especially helpful for those who are most vulnerable.
#10 Compassion Makes Us More Attractive
We all have the desire to feel loved, be accepted and respected. We seek recognition at work, we seek kindness and respect within our families and we look for support and intimacy in our romantic relationships. We usually go to great lengths to make ourselves more attractive to others, but in the end of the day, the most valued quality that people are looking for is kindness. So the more kind and compassionate you are, the more attractive you are to others.
Imagine what a wonderful world we would live in if we all could give a little bit more compassion to each other. While in today’s world the ego is often praised, reality is that ego rarely gets you anywhere and compassion is the most effective and fastest way to get back to a positive path that will move you and others forward.
BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF KINDNESS
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked