Finding connection and community has become a priority for people in surviving quarantining and social distancing. Instead of dinner dates with friends, we are making dinner while face-timing in the kitchen; instead of going out to trivia night, we are hosting trivia nights in our living rooms, instead of work lunches, we are connecting with co-workers via zoom.
Despite the efforts we have made to build connection and strengthen our relationships, it feels as if the world around us is worsening, as the pandemic persists longer than we could have ever imagined. However, the world around us needs compassion, kindness, and empathy now more than ever; so turn outward. Show compassion for your family, demonstrate kindness to your friends, and express empathy for all those who are suffering, even to those who might be strangers. We can be gentle in our speech, patient in our actions, and grateful in our tone to all we see and interact with. These things can be done easily and often as we turn outward and see the human beings that surround us in the grocery store, in the parking lot, or in the neighborhood.
At the Arizona Center for Marriage and Family Therapy, we have seen the healing that comes from kindness, compassion, and empathy. We know that if we all of take the opportunity to be kinder, more compassionate, and act with greater empathy, we can form a foundation of strength and support as we begin to move forward and heal.
For the article that inspired this post, click here.
