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Right now, many of us are facing hurt, stress, and fear.

In overwhelming emotional times, I try to focus on The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated.

This age-old life lesson is something we learn in our youth and now there are a number of proven real-life benefits associated with the way we treat others. Science shows that as children we are biologically wired to be kind.

We can further develop this trait with practice everyday! To be able to cope and overcome stressful situations, an act of being kind to others reduces the stress factor by a lot. This is because it allows you to pay less attention to yourself and your problems. Here are some science-backed benefits to acts of kindness:

Kindness releases feel-good hormones. Have you ever noticed that when you do something nice for someone else, it makes you feel better, too?! This has to do with the pleasure centers in your brain.

Kindness eases anxiety. While there are several ways to reduce anxiety, such as meditation, exercise, prescription medications, and natural remedies, it turns out that being nice to others can be one of the easiest, most inexpensive ways to keep anxiety at bay. There’s so much going on right now and finding a moment to be kind will help. Our brain releases oxytocin which can lower blood pressure and calm your body.

Kindness prevents illness. Inflammation in the body is associated with all sorts of health problems such as diabetes, cancer, chronic pain, obesity, and migraines. Oxytocin also reduces inflammation and even little acts of kindness can trigger oxytocin’s release!

So, kindness is the secret! Share a smile, make a donation, volunteer, or help others!

Blog by Brittany

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