Kind Words Are Sweet to the Soul & Healthy for the Body
Kind Words Are Sweet to the Soul & Healthy for the Body
Are you tired of the constant barrage of divisive language, character attacking and negativity we hear daily? So much of it has become a staple coming from our media - perhaps even from family and friends at times - but how much are we ourselves falling victim to the same toxic behaviors?
words shape our world
There is no doubt what we hear and say shapes our world and the life we live. Negativity and gossip creates toxicity and division, and kind words create connection and peace. When we are kind, we set a positive example and inspire others to be kind. Studies show that kindness and positivity are contagious while creating a ripple effect. Ripples spreads outward, just as a pebble creates waves when dropped into a pond.
KINDNESS is good for our health
Staying healthy and keeping our immune systems strong is of upmost importance right now. While there are several ways to do so, one inexpensive way to stay healthy is to practice kindness.
Genuine kind words create feelings of warmth and connection. “Connection is the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued,” says Brene Brown. It is with these feelings that we produce oxytocin.
Oxytocin is a cardioprotective hormone. It provides this protection by stimulating production of nitric oxide, which then dilates our arteries and reduces blood pressure. Oxytocin acts also as an anti-inflammatory throughout the cardiovascular system.
Being kind is free and it does not require a prescription to realize the health benefits.
make kindness a habit
Being kind is challenging at times, but it is a worthy continued practice that yields fantastic results. Just like a muscle gets stronger with regular training, a similar process occurs in the brain when we make kindness and positive speech a habit. Training our behavior, in turn, trains our neural circuits and perpetual kindness becomes easier.
"We do not act 'rightly' because we are excellent - we achieve excellence by acting rightly." Plato
When we clean up our speech, we cleanup our lives. A sense of control is embraced, self-respect is enhanced, and respect from others is earned. Kind words and positive speech causes relationships to heal, people to come together and puts peace in the air.
We can all benefit from more unity and peace...
the best version of you
As you go through your day, be alert to opportunities to be kind - say a kind word or shut down conversations that aim to tear others down. Speak life.
Rather than malign, defame, slander or speak negatively about another - or, allow others to do so - let us remember and implement the message of the beautiful hymn, “Nay, Speak No Ill,” and then be as lenient with the failings of another as we are with our own.
Let us go further and, in the words of Joseph L. Townsend...
Speak kind words to each other,
At home or where’er we may be;
Like the warblings of birds on the heather,
The tones will be welcome and free.
They’ll gladden the heart that’s repining,
Give courage and hope from above,
And where the dark clouds hide the shining,
Let in the bright sunlight of love.
We are living in fragile times. May we tap into the best version of ourselves, lean toward a greater good, be kind and stay healthy. It's not just about how damaging harsh divisive language and negative gossip can be, it's about the positive change that our mindfulness and kind words can create.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “You cannot speak a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”
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