by Debbie Williams, Regional Volunteer Coordinator

“Love & compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” Dalai Lama

Last week the UK fell silent on Remembrance Day, it therefore seems only right to use a poppy image and to spend a little time remembering those we have lost whether in battle or in life, especially at the moment when we are experiencing another lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of Covid-19. On Remembrance Day we spend time in silence as we remember those we have loved and lost, letting our thoughts and emotions surround and encompass us and even at times overwhelm us however momentarily.

How true are the words of the Dalai Lama? Love and compassion are indeed necessities both for receiver and giver. It’s one of the reasons that the ‘Be Kind’ movement became so popular so quickly. Receiving love and compassion or kindness helps to make us feel whole and valued; and giving love and compassion or being able to offer a little act of kindness to someone else releases endorphins that make us feel positive, healthy and whole. Talk about a win-win situation! As an example, think about what makes you feel valued and whole at the moment? Are there any little kindnesses that you have received that made your day brighter and brought an unexpected smile to your face? Have you been able to enact a little kindness for someone however simple or small it seemed? How did their delighted response make you feel?

It’s not always easy to feel compassion when we are overwhelmed with worry, sadness etc but kindness costs nothing and if we hold onto the way that a small act of kindness makes us feel it helps us to be more aware of others and their need to receive the same. It also helps to overcome some of our preoccupation with our own situation whatever that may be.

In a TED talk that I’ve previously referenced outlining scientific evidence of the positives we experience when we are kind Dr David Hamilton points out that a beneficial side effect to being kind is that it makes us feel happy – you can find his talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyX-kTTzM00 and there’s an animated video outlining similar issues here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9UByLyOjBM

If you’d like to talk, you can contact us via email on info@mite.org.uk where you can request a call-back, we also have a range of resources on our web-site including some that are more specific to the Covid-19 pandemic: https://mite.org.uk

Our role is to help you to explore ways of meeting your own spiritual needs. What makes you feel valued, whole and at peace with yourself. We don’t have an agenda, we’re completely guided by you. If you prefer you can easily keep in touch with us on social media:

Facebook: @mitechaplaincy Twitter: @mitechaplaincy and @mitesthwarr