Kindness as A Stress Reliever

Yesterday I saw on the news a story about how we can catch other people’s stress. I know that stress plays a big role in my success at weight loss and good health in general. The worst thing I ever had a doctor tell me years ago is that I needed to reduce the amount of stress in my life. That just added to stress. Reducing stress is not easy to do. It is not like reducing the amount of sugar in your diet. Now the news told me that other people’s stress adds to mine so when a doctor says reduce my stress I also have to reduce the stress of all the people around me. Ha! How is that going to happen?

Here is the part that really makes me crazy… I have a fairly easy life. Come on, I have a wonderful husband, only one child, who granted is 15, but is growing up, I have a good education, meaningful work, but thanks to my hard working husband we are not dependent on my earning a living, healthy parents and wonderful friends. How much real stress do I really have compared to the majority of the world? Even given all that there are things that happen that cause me anxiety and now I am learning that my anxiety affects others as their stress effects me. No kidding.

So in the whirlwind of stress yesterday something happened that was so surprising and wonderful that it countered any tension I was feeling. Out of the blue, Peter, the CEO of the Food Bank forwarded me a card that was sent to the Food Bank with the news that a $1,000 donation was made in my honor and because of the enjoyment of my blog.

The donation came from Heather and Craig Mallard who live in Delaware. Now before you think I have a greater blog reach than I do, Heather is a friend of mine. She used to live in Raleigh and I first met her when she and I served on the board of the Food Bank in my early days on the board. It was very sad for me as I was coming into my role as board chair two years ago, that Heather, who was chair of the Finance committee, was taking a new job and moving away.

Heather did not let me know she was making this kind and generous donation. She just quietly sent it off to the Food Bank to help feed people in a state she does not even live in. That loving gesture did more for me than she will ever know while at the same time will provide $10,000 worth of food for people who face real and hard stress everyday.

The lesson I am taking away from this is that although I may not be able to avoid stress I can at least counteract it in others by providing an act of kindness. I wish I could make all my good deeds $1,000 acts, but I can’t. I hope that I will just remember to thank people appropriately, acknowledge good works, praise and pay tribute and brighten someone’s day.

Now I seriously know that I will also continue to add stress to people’s days, but let me learn to do it in a constructive way that will build people up. So thanks to Heather and Craig. You are my hero’s and, Heather I miss working with you, but hope our paths will continue to cross.