For Good Health Practice Kindness

With the growing increase in the cost of healthcare and the ever-growing burden on our health system, there is an immediate need to find ways to enhance wellness and treatments that are economically feasible to all concerned.  With that in mind, one method to help this occur is living our lives promoting kindness in our day-to-day activities.  This may sound ridiculously simple, however, practicing kindness helps to keep us well.  To be really effective, one must think of it on a daily basis.  Next you should take a conscious and deliberate approach and write a specific plan on what things you can do daily that would show kindness towards others and also towards yourself.  If you don’t write anything down, it is very easy to revert back to your former behavior.

Before proceeding further, it may be helpful to emphasize the power of the mind on your health and well-being.  In emergency survival situations, the will to live is often the deciding factor on whether a person lives or dies.  We also find the prognosis for a patient to lessen if they have no one to give them encouragement and emotional support.  A patient may lose hope and give up.  In these cases it becomes apparent how intense and important the relationship is between the mind and the body.  Kindness provides an excellent avenue to strengthen both mind and body.  If we are serious about improving our level of health, thereby making our healthcare system more effective, then we need to rigorously capitalize on the power the mind has on our overall health and level of functioning.  When the emotions are not good it is difficult to maintain optimal health.

When looking at kindness we often think of such things as “it’s better to give than to receive” or “do unto others as you would like done to you.”  Both are what might be considered a mission statement.  For writing a plan on kindness you need to write specific behaviors that promote kindness.  Some examples could include the following: 1. Giving honest complements to people on a daily basis; 2. Making a conscious effort to say “good morning” and other introductory comments; 3. Making a deliberate effort to laugh daily; 4. Use humor to help people feel good and to relieve stress; 5. Practice being a pleasant and sympathetic person; 6. Smile; 7. Reward yourself for accomplishments; 8. Instead of thinking about calling a friend, do it; and 9. Find altruistic endeavors in your life.

The above are only examples, not an all-encompassing list.  Tailor your list to your own personal needs and desires.  The important concept is to discover and identify behaviors of kindness that cause  you to feel good, as well as  the other person.  This reminds me of a recent experience in which I was assisting a woman at the hospital in finding a patient room.  I decided that I would personally escort her to the patient room.  While walking, I couldn’t help but notice that she was very well dressed.  She struck me as perhaps a professional person.  Her posture and gate had an air of confidence and pride.  I had a desire to complement her on her appearance in a respectful manner.  Finally, I turned to her and said, “you really look sharp this morning.”  She turned to me with very alert eyes and replied “ you don’t look bad yourself”.  That was GOOD MEDICINE FOR BOTH OF US!

John Haynes

John Haynes, MS, MBA, is a retired school psychologist and a current volunteer at Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC). He served as a Hospital Corpsman at the US Naval Academy and served on the USS Sanctuary Hospital ship in Vietnam. In addition to his volunteer work at SMMC, he's actively involved in the community through the Shawnee Kiwanis Club and the Kansas Trails Council. His interests vary from backpacking and mountain biking to investment analysis and business management. He and his wife have two sons.