The Real Benefits of Sharing Kindness

As World Kindness Day approaches on Friday, November 13, I thought we should take a quick peek at the real benefits of sharing kindness with others, and how it actually enhances our own health and happiness. And who couldn’t benefit from a little more of each in their life right about now?!

kind·ness / ˈkīn(d)nəs / noun: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate

Kindness Lowers Blood Pressure: Admit it, the word kindness gets thrown around a lot! So much so that we’re all like, yeah, yeah, heard it a millions times, it must be overrated, right? Wrong! Research shows merely observing acts of kindness can produce the “love hormone” or more therapeutically called “cardio-protective hormone” oxytocin, which not only helps to lower blood pressure, but also increases general heart health, as well as enhances optimism and self-esteem.

According to Dr. David R. Hamilton PhD, kind acts create emotional warmth. Scientifically speaking, once oxytocin is present, it causes the release of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels, and therefor lowers blood pressure and protects your heart. Translation: That’s a lot of good bang for your buck!

It Can Go Further Than You Think: In 1998, Oprah Winfrey discovered how a stranger’s compassion could make a world of difference. While enduring a lengthy multi-week trial over her own words about no longer wanting to eat beef, Oprah encountered daily ridicule from both locals and the media. One morning on her way into court, a woman in the crowd handed her a matchbook that read, “Hang in there, I’m praying for you.” Though Oprah never learned her name or saw her again, she said, “…she did me a kindness I’ll take to my grave.” We never know what people are struggling with. Even the smallest gesture of kindness can unknowingly lift someone’s spirits.

Kindness Adds To Our Own Happiness: It’s no secret, doing something nice for someone else makes us feel good. Biochemically, those random acts of kindness amp up our happiness level by releasing elevated dopamine levels, or a natural “helper’s high.”

My initial hope, when I started this soap adventure, was to make a healthy impact on people’s lives. I wanted to help others by lifting their moods with a product using natural ingredients and the use of essential oils. In reading the thank you notes from customers like you, knowing our soaps make a positive difference in some people’s lives makes me feel incredibly happy!

It Even Slows The Aging Process:
There are two big offenders that speed up the aging process. They are inflammation and those pesky free radicals. But our new BFF, oxytocin that we release when we feel good, actually reduces levels of both inflammation and free radicals within our cardiovascular system. This means we’re slowing aging at its source. YES, please!!

What acts of kindness can you do this week? What kind acts lift your spirits? Please share. We would love to hear them.

Sage XO

Dr. Hamilton link http://drdavidhamilton.com/category/kindness-2/

Oprah link https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/02/27/oprah-winfrey-wins-case-filed-by-cattlemen/dd4612f5-ccbf-4e3d-a1c1-f84d1f4fd23c/