COMPASSION IS THE KEY

This month in one of my most favorite magazines, there's an article by Larry Gallagher called The Compassion Instinct.

Gallagher reports on research that shows that people who can develop the ability
"to feel the pain of others via compassion can lower stress levels."

Turns out, there's also a direct relationship between people's reported happiness and their ability to practice compassion.

So how do you practice compassion?

The article suggests using an internal dialogue taken from Resurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness by Harry Parmer (Star's Edge Creations)

Look at a person on the street or across the room or behind the counter and remind yourself that that person is just like you:

He or she is looking for happiness

is trying to avoid suffering

has experienced hardship

and is trying to meet his or her needs.

Say to yourself: "JUST LIKE ME, THIS PERSON IS LEARNING ABOUT LIFE."

When you feel slighted or hurt or put out, it's good to remember that for the most part, we're all doing the best we can. Which means that sometimes we are going to mess up and cause injury. It happens. Better to move forward with that sense of understanding than to blame or wallow or resent.

Anyone else out there feeling your stress level dropping at this very moment?