Practice Compassion

Compassion is triggered by the state of empathy, and is the urge to relieve suffering. This too, is a trainable mental skill, a cornerstone of emotional intelligence - and a proven outcome of mindfulness.

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The neural state of compassion is accompanied by a flood of reward hormones and chemicals, including dopamine and serotonin. The saying “It feels better to give than receive” is literally true. There is warmth and positive emotion associated with helping others — and this motivates prosocial behaviors in general (caring, kindness, generosity, etc). 

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Compassion is expressed in acts of care and kindness that seek to relieve suffering. It is correlated with strengthening the immune system, normalizing blood pressure, lowering stress and depression, improving physical recovery from illness, and even extending life.