I'm Still Human: Understanding Depression With Kindness (Expanded Edition - 2021)

8. RADIATE KIND THOUGHTS TO OTHERS:
• Take a few slow deep breaths to relax
your mind and body.
• Think of the people in your life
especially your loved ones.
• Mentally, send good wishes to them,
like sending a mental SMS, e.g. “May
you be happy,” “May you get a
promotion,” “May you be healthy.”
• Smile to them and visualize them being happy. Imagine that
they smile back and thank you for the good wishes.
• Repeat this for a different person or group of people.
• You may also expand your kindness to animals and nature.
This is helpful for depression in several ways:
• 1. It trains the mind to focus on a positive emotion,
i.e. kindness, instead of a negative emotion like fear.
• 2. It stimulates the production of a neuro-hormone,
(i.e. oxytocin) which gives a sense of warmth and security
(the same chemical is produced during breast-feeding).
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