I would like to offer three reminders for kindness practitioners to help boost spirits during the holidays. We all know very well the truth of these simple propositions. The suggest a simple recipe we can use to spread healthy, positive holiday cheer.
- Many people feel an unexpected but still familiar sense of depression at this time of celebration.It may stem from personal memories, regrets, loneliness, feeling left out, feeling guilty for not seeming as chipper as those around us. Not getting enough sunlight may contribute further. Regardless of whichever personal combination of these factors affects individuals, the impact can result in pain, withdrawal, and sometimes even unhealthy behaviors.
- Showing even small acts of kindness to people can help alleviate their feelings of depression.We don’t need grand gestures of charity and holiday cheer, which may even play into the triggering factors in holiday depression. In many cases, feeling more empathy, more inclusion, more validation, and the like can help dispel depressive feelings and thinking.
- Acts of kindness make the kindness practitioner feel better, too.We all benefit from an improved outlook and increased positivity when we act kindly towards others. Study after study has explored and validated the virtuous cycle of greater empathy and increased sense of interdependence sparked by acts as simple as smiling, greeting, helping, and connecting.
From these three, we can infer a simple holiday recipe as warming as any cookies or eggnog.
- Take your best heart
- Add small acts of kindness
- Spread liberally.
Serves everyone.