In Chinese Medicine it is pretty clear that the body is interconnected. When one organ or channel becomes imbalanced, the rest will start to become imbalanced as well. This is the same reason why an acu point on the top of the foot can be used on the opposite side of the body to treat a one sided headache.
Modern medicine is catching up to ancient wisdom. Wayne Dyer reports that in recent studies of serotonin levels people who extend acts of kindness raise their serotonin levels. Not only does the person acting kindly towards someone feel the effect, the person receiving kindness and those witnessing kindness also receive a boost in serotonin levels.
I felt so impacted by this notion of raising serotonin levels that I made it a practice to be as kind as I could to those around me. Not only did my mood improve, I also felt like I had more energy, that I smiled more for no reason, that life didn't seem so stressful. What did it really cost me to give the man standing on the off ramp of the freeway the leftovers of the lunch I couldn't finish, or reaching for a bag of rice for a woman too short to reach it at the grocery store, cleaning the toilet that hadn't been washed in a month (instead of arguing about who's turn it was), leaving a couple extra bucks for a waitress, the list could continue. The most amazing impact of this experiment that I found was that people, strangers, began extending the same kind of kindness to me in small ways, in large ways. I have become acutely aware of the goodness returning in my life ten-fold.
Imagine the impact you could have, not only in your own life, but in all the lives around you if you started to look for the small acts of kindness around you instead of the disasters, if you consciously made an effort to be kind, or if you consciously made an effort to receive kindness. Remember its the little things in life that can make the most difference.
Sarah Zender LAc
Neighborhood Acupuncture Place (NAP)
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com
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