Have you ever thought about how being kind helps your health? Kindness is more than just being nice. It's a powerful thing that can make us feel better in our minds and bodies, and even offers other perks. Here's a closer look:
- Mental health: Being kind helps make a chemical called serotonin in your brain. This chemical makes us feel good, happier, and could even help lessen feelings of sadness or depression.
- Emotional wellbeing: Doing kind things regularly makes you feel positive. This can be key in making you feel better about yourself and fostering love. Plus, it helps us feel empathy and compassion, which can reduce negative feelings like anger and fear.
- Physical health: Did you know that being kind can also be good for your body? Kind acts often lead to what's called a 'helper's high', a happy feeling that is followed by a longer period of feeling calm. Both can help lower blood pressure and keep your heart healthy.
- Relationships: Kindness acts like a social glue that helps us make stronger bonds with people. It encourages mutual respect and understanding, which makes our relationships better.
- Longevity: It might seem surprising, but some studies suggest that people who often do kind things tend to live longer. This could be because of the mix of benefits for your mind, body, and emotional state that kindness brings.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Unlearning-Biases-A-Pathway-to-Cultivating-Kindness
We all have biases. Recognizing and acknowledging both our conscious and unconscious biases can pave the way for a greater capacity for kindness and empathy towards others.
Put simply, a bias is a preformed idea or view about something or someone. In learning about bias, it's important to grasp how deeply it affects our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Biases can disrupt our ability to practice kindness in several ways. These can include:
- Unconscious bias: Unconscious bias can lead us to make unwarranted assumptions or judgments about others based on factors like race, gender, or age. This can result in unfair treatment or missed opportunities to demonstrate kindness.
- Negativity bias: Our brains tend to fixate on negative experiences, making it challenging to remember and exhibit kindness. However, practicing kindness can help balance this bias by emphasizing positive experiences.
- Benevolence bias: Benevolence bias can manifest as excessive or inappropriate kindness, such as being overly protective or patronizing towards individuals influenced by our subconscious biases.
Being kind means looking past our own judgments and accepting all kinds of people. To effectively combat biases and cultivate kindness, it is essential to acknowledge our biases and actively address them.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Unlearning-Biases-A-Pathway-to-Cultivating-Kindness
The journey to unlearning biases can be complex. It takes more than just time; it requires consistent effort, a commitment to change, and most importantly, patience. The following steps may help us to unlearn biases and become kinder people:
- Recognize: Recognizing your biases is both the first and perhaps the most crucial step. Be honest with yourself about any preconceived notions or prejudices you may have. This step involves taking a hard, introspective look at your beliefs and attitudes.
- Educate: Once you're aware of your biases, educate yourself. Learn about the experiences, cultures, and lifestyles of those against whom you've been biased. Reading, listening, and engaging in conversations can help foster understanding and empathy.
- Reflect: Take some time to reflect on why you hold these biases. Is it because of personal experiences, societal influence, or simply a lack of understanding? Understanding the root cause of your bias will help you address it effectively.
- Correct: When you catch yourself acting on a bias, make a conscious effort to correct yourself. Replace the negative thought with a positive one, or better yet, a fact. This step will gradually help in reducing the power that biases hold over your thoughts and actions.
Remember, the goal when practicing unlearning biases is not to be perfect but to continually practice being a better version of ourselves, striving for growth, understanding, and kindness.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Unlearning-Biases-A-Pathway-to-Cultivating-Kindness
