“Kindness is the quality of being generous, helpful, and caring about other people, or an act showing this quality” – Cambridge English Dictionary.
When we are kind to each other, or towards ourselves, we experience positive feelings which lower stress levels and increase the production of serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin – also known as hormones of happiness! Being kind helps reduce blood pressure, stress and anxiety, and boost the immune system.
The pandemic demonstrated our ability to build communal kindness. We cared and provided acts of kindness to the people we never met before and are unlikely to ever meet again.
We feel privileged to work with the most caring and passionate people – our Live-in Carers. Every day they make sure their Client feels comfortable, safe and happy. Many of our Home Carers have long-terms Clients. They would not be able to build such a strong bond without being genuinely kind and caring.
The Benefits of Kindness
The choice to be kind has many important benefits. First, and perhaps most obviously, practising kindness will be immensely helpful for both Client and at home Carer.
Receiving a compliment, words of recognition, and praise can help people feel more fulfilled, boost their self-esteem, improve their self-evaluation, and trigger positive emotions - praise aligns with our naturally positive view of ourselves and motivates our self-worth.
This is important for our Clients, whether they are elderly and feel lonely, or people with disabilities who might feel disconnected with the rest of the world. A simple kind word might be the best medicine – “You look great today!”
Being recognised as a Home Carer helps reduce burnout and improves their general well-being – “Great job!”
Secondly, practicing kindness helps life feel more meaningful, because it involves investing in something bigger than ourselves. Some elderly lack the feeling of being needed, which obviously can affect their emotional status. Our acts of kindness shape both how others perceive us and how we view ourselves. And this makes us believe that we have what it takes to be a good person, which is a great way to transform any negative feelings into positives!
Thirdly, according to some studies which were carried out to measure emotions, giving compliments makes us even happier than receiving them.
During these studies, participants were paired up and asked to write about themselves, and then talk about themselves with each other.
Next, one of them was asked to give an honest compliment about something they liked or respected about the other participant after listening to them.
It was found out consistently that giving compliments actually made people happier than receiving them!
Surprisingly though, participants were unaware of these pleasurable benefits of being kind.
Yet, many people are often reluctant to give compliments. Why? It is a fact that even thinking of approaching someone and saying something nice can trigger social anxiety and discomfort.
Having a Live-in Carer in your home can benefit actively from fostering kindness. In families where acts of kindness become the norm, the positivity grows immensely! When people receive an act of kindness, they pay it back — and not just to the same person, but often it extends to someone entirely new.
Showing kindness does not have to mean doing something big or life changing. Often it is the smallest acts of kindness that can have the most impact.
If you or your loved one could benefit from having a Live-in Carer, our kind and caring team is here to help you arrange the perfect companion - call us on 01264 319 399.