Improving Your Mental Health Through Kindness
Improving Your Mental Health Through Kindness
Improve your mental health. Be kind.
You’re familiar with the phrase to give and not to count the cost, right?
It follows the quote, “Kindness to you is Kindness to me, and kindness to me is kindness to you”. Rick Hanson in Psychology Today.
Being kind makes you feel good. And truly helping someone else and not wanting anything back in return is a great way to raise your self-worth.
Helping others is empowering, it boosts your mood. Makes you feel happier. More fulfilled.
It strengthens relationships and we have recently seen the power of kindness. It’s brought people together, built communities during this world crisis.
And kindness is free.
Or is it?
Putting ourselves out for another from time to time is absolutely fine. But when you’re constantly going out of your way and putting others first.
There will always be those who take advantage of your good nature.
So if you struggle saying no you’ll be meeting other peoples needs and putting pressure on yourself.
Treating ourselves with kindness and respect.
This is the foundation of mental well-being.
So where do you start being kind to yourself?
- Invest in self-care. Allow yourself some time to rest. Read a book. Take a hot bubble bath. Go for a walk, meditate, light a candle when you sit down to eat. Do whatever makes you feel good.
- Listen to your emotions. They are telling you something, notice the emotion, name it and respond to them with kindness.
- Accept your humanness. We all make mistakes. Forgive yourself. Speaking to yourself with kindness and compassion like you would to someone you love.
- Set clear personal boundaries. Get to know yourself. Understand what is acceptable and what isn’t.
Examples:
- Saying no to someone who wants to borrow money from you when you know they won’t give it back is ok.
- Say no to the person that always wants a favour but never returns one.
ALWAYS REMEMBER. YOUR TIME IS AS VALUABLE AS OTHERS.
- Don’t. DON’T compare yourself. We all have a friend on social media who has the perfect life, the perfect job, the perfect partner. And instead of being happy for them we feel jealous and we believe their life is better than ours.
We are all in different places and part of being human is we all struggle from time to time. You are good enough already.
If being hard on yourself was going to work,
it would have worked by now.
Need help with acknowledging your needs? Being kind to yourself? Then get in touch. I offer online therapy via WhatsApp and Zoom.
Diane Woolrich is a Counsellor and Hypnotherapist working in private practice. She helps people live a life that is true to themselves, to be kind to themselves by changing their negative thoughts and behaviours, to be able to fulfil their true potential.