Being kind to others may come naturally to you, but what about being kind to yourself? Most of the time, a person is their own worst critic and will say negative things about themselves much more frequently than they would say them about others.
Before putting yourself down, stop and ask: would you say this to someone you were friends with or someone you cared about? If the answer is no, don’t say it to (or about) yourself, either.
Self-Compassion May Protect Your Heart
If you practice self-compassion you may be able to reduce your risk of heart disease. There are other factors in the equation, of course, but anything you can do to help reduce your heart disease risk is generally a good thing. That’s particularly true as you age, because your disease risk will rise as you get older as part of the natural aging process. You can’t reverse or eliminate that risk, but you can lower it by taking the best possible care of your heart.
Ian Weisberg believes that one of the best ways for anyone to do that is through compassion for themselves and for others. The more you take good care of yourself and give yourself grace, the easier things will be on your heart.
When you do compassionate and caring things for others, though, you also get a boost of chemicals from your brain like serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin that help you relax and feel happier. There’s no reason not to reap those benefits when you can do something good for someone at the same time.
Make Yourself Happier Through Helping Others
Compassion is a great way to make yourself happier, and that happiness can translate into benefits for your heart. Your blood pressure and heart rate are both typically lower when you’re happier and more content. You can also see more flexibility in your blood vessels, along with benefits for other systems throughout your body. Caring for other people and helping them out, even in very small ways, boosts your levels of joy and gratitude for the world around you and all the good things you have in your life.
Practicing Gratitude Daily Can Boost Heart Health
According to Dr. Ian Weisberg, making yourself happier can be as easy as doing something nice for someone else on a regular basis, or expressing gratitude for what you have in life, even if it’s not everything you want. As you work to become happier and experience more gratitude, you’ll encourage your brain to make more chemicals that will improve your heart health and help other bodily systems reduce their stress and work more efficiently.
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