“Compassion is the greatest form of love humans have to offer.” ~ Rachel Joy Scott
Compassion is the act of opening our hearts to others, acting out of kindness, understanding, and a desire to do something positive for another. Most would agree that compassion is an important quality to have. Yet, during the daily struggle of stresses and disappointments, it can be easy to forget just how important it is. Compassion is a simple and potent gift we always have the power to give – we need only choose to do so. Giving, helping, caring and listening are common ways to express compassion. Other more subtle acts of compassion are receiving, acknowledging, appreciating, sharing, considering and including. Compassion has many benefits, 5 of them are below along with some tips to get you started.
#1 – COMPASSION improves your mental state. In giving to others, the focus is shifted away from your own self or problems and to the wellbeing of someone else. This shift in attention can help pull you out of self-defeating thoughts or depression and into an active role of positive influence. Doing things for others also gives us a sense of fulfillment, which leads to happiness. Opening yourself to compassion helps you learn to be compassionate to all beings, yourself included.
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” – Jack Kornfield.
#2 – COMPASSION shifts your perspective. Being compassionate improves your view of the world around you. By finding our compassion for others, we recognize that there is commonality between us — we are all in this together and we are all interconnected. Recognizing the connectivity between all beings can help reduce anxiety and fear and increase feelings of trust and support, allowing us to see the world as a friendlier, more harmonious place.
#3 – COMPASSION improves your relationships. Being compassionate is really about understanding the needs of another, or at least trying to. When we actually endeavor to understand where others are coming from and put ourselves in their shoes, we create deeper connections and become better at communicating. Taking the time to allow compassion to come in during interactions with others can help us avoid judgment and misunderstandings, and allow for positive outcomes. Being compassionate not only improves our relationships during the present, it helps us cultivate the skills for deeper connections in the future.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” –Dalai Lama
#4 – COMPASSION improves the world around you. When you do things for others, you are actively helping improve the world around you. When you help someone, they are more likely to help someone else and this chain reaction continues. Being compassionate is contagious and inspiring. Your compassion influences others to do the same, making the world a better place and passing your compassion on until eventually it will come back to you!
#5 – COMPASSION opens your heart. The act of compassion requires that we open our hearts. This heart opening not only softens our rough edges making us more pleasant to be around, but it opens us up to be able to receive love. When we harden our hearts, we may think that we are protecting ourselves from hurt, 
but we are also blocking ourselves from positive experiences. Opening our hearts opens us to possibility and with possibility can come joy and love!
“What comes from the heart, goes to the heart.” ~ Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Ready to get started? Here are just a few ways that you can being to cultivate compassion:
-Be Mindful – Take special attention to notice the way you speak and act towards others as you go throughout your day. Are you being kind? Are you speaking to and treating others in the way that you would most like to be spoken to? How about the way you are speaking to yourself? Is that loving?
-Shift perspective – When someone is “bothering” you in some way, see if you can look at them in a different light, a compassionate one. Try to put yourself in their shoes and really understand what they might be experiencing, do so with love.
-Practice a Loving-Kindness Meditation – For yourself: May I be well. May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be happy. May I be filled with loving-kindness.
For others (including anyone you feel negatively towards): May you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be happy. May you be filled with loving-kindness.
-Forgive yourself and others – Forgiveness sets you free and is an act of compassion. This goes for self-forgiveness too. When a “mistake” is made see it as an opportunity for growth and learning rather than reacting with judgement and berating yourself or others. See more on forgiveness here.
-Be creative! There are so many ways to connect with and share compassion with others. What other ways can you think of to cultivate compassion? Trust yourself and your loving instincts – your heart knows the way.
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