Time To Get Back To Basics

Love and compassion are the basis for healthy human interaction and communication.

They are basic human needs.

It starts with love and compassion for yourself. Just like on an airplane, you have to put your own love and compassion “mask” on first. Then you can share it with the world and create better relationships.

Love and compassion are not only good for your relationships, they are good for your health. Not surprisingly, they have many benefits in common.

Vibrant Living Tip

The benefits of love and compassion include:

1. Reduces Stress – You are able to be more relaxed and happier.
2. Strengthens the Immune System – You can speed up the recovery from diseases and promote healing and anytime you can reduce stress, you strengthen your immune system.
3. May Extend Your Life – Researchers discovered that people who practiced Loving-Kindness Meditation, which focuses on kindness and warmth towards others (love and compassion), had longer telomeres, the segments of DNA that control aging.  Shorter than average telomeres have been associated with accelerated aging and a shorter lifespan, so the longer, the better.

How to develop love and compassion:

1. Become Non-Judgmental – Let go of judgement as much as possible. Let go of the judgment and the meaning you created in your mind.  Then switch to a compassionate and loving thought instead.
2. Gratitude – Find at least 3 things to be grateful for and really feel the gratitude.
3. Think and Act from the Heart – Put your attention on your heart, rather than your head, you’ll be naturally more compassionate and loving.
4. Loving Kindness Meditation (mentioned above) – There are different ways to practice this form of meditation, each based on different Buddhist traditions, but each variation uses the same core psychological operation. During your meditation, you generate kind intentions toward certain targets including yourself and others.

Vibrant Living Take Away

Next time you find yourself feeling a bit down, try one of the above ways to develop love and compassion. Then share that love and compassion with others. See how your life changes.

Until next time...

Dream Bravely.
Act Boldly.
Live Vibrantly!

Lynn Tranchell

P.S. The holidays can be the most stressful times of the year. Clutter creates stress. Why add to it? Are you ready to release clutter for the holidays? Click here to register for the Clutter Release For The Holidays webinar. Thank you to those who have already registered. I did change the title slightly.