Often we can feel paralyzed by fear or sadness when we are bombarded with unpleasant news reports. Living in a very informed technological world, we have to create our escapes and responses to these feelings when they are triggered or stirred up. When we can’t turn off the noise and retreat to quiet environments, we can find helpful ways to channel this energy more healthily.
I find that the little moments in my day helping those I come into contact with gives me an empowering feeling. I may not be able to donate a large sum of money to those in need. I may not be able to instantly jump on a plane and give my presence to desperate situations. What I can do, however, is many small loving things every day. We forget that we each make a difference. We are the helpers to those in our environments.
If you are in a store, you may spot someone struggling with something you could help them with. You can practice patience with a slow driver or co-worker. You may be able to buy a cup of coffee for someone short on money. You can practice kindness with how you interact with people in today’s digital world. We can be quick to jump to opinions and judgements when you aren’t looking them directly in the eye.
Perhaps helping is sending someone loving thoughts or encouraging words. When you help uplift others, you help create a more uplifting world. You can donate small amounts of time or money to causes close to your heart. If you see litter, you can help pick it up. You can truly do things anywhere on the scale and still make a difference. Many times a small gesture in someone’s day makes things a little easier on them. Every helpful thing we can do contributes to collective energy. This fuels better circumstances.
Sometimes I hear people lose interest in helping others because they don’t get a big reaction or recognition in that instant. At times it may take a little practice and patience to understand the process. When you show someone that isn’t used to kindness some love and kindness, they very well may not react the way you would like them to or think they should.
I’m sure we all come across people from time to time that may not have had the pleasure of growing up in loving environments. They may not be projecting helpful examples. Does that mean you can’t be an example? We can be quick to correct someone rather than understand they have not experienced kindness and love.
We can show kindness by planting a seed. A seed they can reflect on later. A seed that might inspire them to pass that goodness onto another. The same way understandings don’t always come to us in an instant, it may take someone some time to digest love and kindness. You don’t always have to understand someone to be kind and helpful.
We can help by not only by doing helpful acts, but by teaching them as well. The way we treat ourselves and those we come into contact with can help inspire kind acts of change figuratively and literally. We don’t have to feel helpless when it comes down to it. We may not always have the power to respond to all the crises we hear about in news reports, but we can be powerful everyday. The more people that demonstrate love and kindness in their daily lives, the more help we spread to the world. We can do so much more when we help one another.
The definition of help is to make something easier for someone or to do something by offering one’s services or resources. To give a helping hand, assist, or come to the aid of someone. So in any moment you are helping by contributing more positively and more lovingly.
When we feel stressed or paralyzed, we can step back and ask “How can we contribute better: by fearing, or by helping?” Even if you can’t directly help a situation that you feel emotionally impacted by, you can send some loving thoughts and envision a better frequency. Our thoughts have power. Rather than getting triggered towards anger, we can practice more helpful thoughts. Even if it takes a little practice and isn’t our first instinct. We can notice and choose to practice more loving thoughts.
Regardless of what is going on in our world, we can consciously choose to be helpers. When you can help in big ways, it’s an even bigger yay! I want to remind you, though, that it’s not just the big things that make a difference. Big or small, help is always important.