“Do good and good will come to you.”
~ Adam Lowy
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
Aesop
“Try to be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Maya Angelou
Everyone has a bad day now and then. It’s all part of living. It’s a priceless gift when we take the time to lighten someone’s load. It may be a needed hug, a listening ear, or surprising someone with a home cooked meal. The possibilities are endless. Make someone’s day, be the rainbow in their cloud.
“The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.”
~ Mark Twain
In many cases, sadness is a normal human reaction to different life changes and events, but there are some habits that can help with this. “If you find yourself feeling a bit down, a great thing to do is something kind for another person,” explains Vanessa. “When we do kind things for others, it actually activates the reward system in our own brain. It releases the reward neuron dopamine. If we’re doing something for someone else, then it also takes our mind off our own worries as well.”
The more we move out of ourselves toward others, the more feelings of self-pity, sadness, and depression leave us. Instead of dwelling on our problems when we engage with others to brighten their day grace happens, our day becomes brighter as well.
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”
~ Mother Teresa
“Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.”
~ Henri Nouwen
“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”
Awe is a powerful — even awesome, you might say — human emotion. And a handful of recent studies have found a link between experiencing a sense of awe — that feeling you get when you look up at a starry sky or out across a wide open valley — with feeling less stressed and more satisfied.
People who’ve recently had an awe-inspiring experience are also more likely to say they feel more curious about the world around them and to act more generously toward others.
