Acts of kindness are wonderful things

Welcome back to Supporting Both Ends of the Lead, and thank you for taking an interest in our posts.

I would guess that introduction made you feel a bit important and valued - in other words, that it raised your self-esteem. Yet the intention wasn’t that - it was to let you know that your behaviour has raised OUR self-esteem, because someone has noticed something we created.

Acts of kindness are wonderful things, because they benefit both the giver as well as the receiver.

The recipient of a kindness - a genuine positive comment, an offer to help - will feel valued because someone is noticing and caring about their state of mind, and wishes to encourage them to feel happier and/or to achieve the goal they’re pursuing. As a result, they’ll feel better about themselves. The person who offers a kindness will feel justly proud if they manage to please the other person. 

On a neurological level, the receiver of a kindness will benefit from serotonin, the hormone that makes us feel happier, calmer, more focused, and emotionally steadier. The person who offers the kindness not only receives serotonin but also dopamine, which is known as the ‘feel good’ hormone because it gives us a feeling of reward and pleasure. Both people are likely, too, to feel a boost of oxytocin, the hormone that allows us to feel safe and connected positively to others, a hormone that encourages relationship building.

These exchanges - offering and receiving kindnesses - not only create lots of satisfaction in human with human exchanges. There’s plenty of reasons to be kind to animals as well. In her posts this month, Caroline has explained why learning to understand what your dog is feeling and then reacting appropriately towards them will reward you both. 

OK, until our next post, please take time to notice how others around you - both two legged and four legged - are feeling. Make sure, too, that at least once each day you offer an act of kindness. When you do, everyone will win.

Warmest wishes,

Linda