How Kindness Can Help You Beat The January Blues
We’re halfway through January. You’re broke, you’re still carrying a turkey’s worth of extra weight and you’re desperate for something to brighten the gloom.
Who could blame you for running a little low on the milk of human kindness?
But here’s the thing, if you want to beat the blues, a sure-fire way to do so is actually by being kind to others.
Whether you’re acting kind, or someone’s been kind to you, chances are it feels good for all involved. Kindness is contagious, so the more you do kind things, the kinder other people end up being too. Psychologists refer to this as activating mirror neurones, or ‘modelling behaviours’.
Dr Mark Winwood, director of psychological services at AXA PPP healthcare says: “We’re biologically wired to be kind. Sometimes, through outside influences or the stress of our day-to-day lives, we can lose this inherent ability. But it is possible to learn to be kinder, to develop this trait with practice and repetition.”
Studies have also found that we may actually benefit from giving support more than those receiving it – and we’re also more likely to get support in return when we need it.
Aggression, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety can all be combated by kindness.
Dr Winwood says: “Being nice to others can actually be one of the easiest, most inexpensive ways to keep anxious feelings at bay. Doing nice things for others helps boost your serotonin and dopamine levels, the neurotransmitters in your brain responsible for feelings of satisfaction, reward and wellbeing. Like exercise, kindness and altruism also release endorphins, that euphoric feeling that money can’t buy.”
Scientists believe helping others lets you get outside of yourself and take a break from the stressors in your own life. What’s more, this behaviour can also make you better equipped to handle stressful situations. And their work has found that perpetually kind people have 23% less of stress hormone cortisol and age slower than the average population.
Kindness also releases the hormone oxytocin, which causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide in blood vessels, which dilates the blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
So if you want to get on a happier track this January, try one of these random acts of kindness today:
1. Smile at someone – it will make them smile too!
2. Open the door for someone
3. Let someone go ahead of you in a queue
4. Give up your seat on public transport to someone who might need it more
5. Ask someone how they are – and meaning it. It could be a colleague you know might be struggling, or family member
6. Put your phone down when you’re with a friend or loved one – recognising and acknowledging they’re important by really listening and being interested in what they have to say
7. Surprise a friend with a coffee and cake
8. Ask an elderly neighbour if they need help with anything
9. Offer to babysit for a friend who might need a break
10. Give a compliment!
