Join Pam Weeden once more, this time exploring how powerful kindness can be.
Alongside the direct impact of Covid itself, we are in danger of becoming an increasingly fractured community, in part, as a result of some of the decision-making processes surrounding the pandemic. It seems the sovereignty of individuals to make choices from their own values base and understanding of the factual information is no longer respected, main stream and social media is full of anger related posts and at times, we understand little of the suffering of our neighbour behind their closed front door.
Emotions have a way of attracting their likeness into our lives; when we are angry, we find more reasons to be angry. When we are afraid; we draw to ourselves more reasons to be fearful. In a world that drips feeds the negative into our lives, it can be hard to find the antidote. The impact on our wellbeing and mental health overtime can be corrosive. Jesus set us a role model as an exponent of kindness. Far from being a soft or sentimental action, kindness is a recognition of the fact we are all one together – a family: ‘kin’; ‘kinship’ of a ‘kind’. Acts of kindness and compassion can be transformative; the NHS has conducted extensive research into the power of kindness and the concept of ‘Intelligent Kindness’ is now being used to underpin a system wide case for change.
Kindness begins in the small acts and tiny choices, like a decision to smile at people you pass by or make a special effort to go along to the garden sale someone has organised for local charities, even if it is just to say hello. As with other emotions, kindness has a way of drawing in more of the same and influencing the way others think and feel. In the rebuilding of the kinship and our fractured oneness, there is all kinds of healing to be found, including that of our mental health and wellbeing.
Pam Weeden is a qualified professional Executive Coach and Mentor who is passionate about leadership development and believe in facilitating the growth of the person and the professional. Throughout the pandemic Pam has offered pastoral support to the Trust's senior leadership team.
You can follow Pam on Twitter: @PamWeeden
