So, mindfulness practices do seem to have a profound effect both in terms of the
research, and in terms of popular thought.
Another thing that has a huge impact is compassion.
Being in a loving relationship is very powerful, as it stimulates renewal.
Having pets, especially pets that you can stroke.
Dogs, cats, horses, monkeys. Doesn't work with fish.
Sorry folks. Because it looks like it, it is in the
stroking of the pet that you are building this sympathetic emotional bond that
engages in renewal. Volunteering and doing things for people
who are less fortunate than you helps. Care-giving helps.
One caveat here, there is something that has been identified in elderly
caregivers, social workers and nurses in particular, where those occupations where
compassion is drawn upon so much that they actually go into compassion fatigue
which is a syndrome that leads to stress. My wife who is an elementary school
kindergarten school teacher for for over twenty years.
I mean, she made the observation to me very often that when I, we would have
dinner or, or get-togethers with a lot of her elementary school friends it was
interesting that they didn't have that many children, if any, and, and some of
it might have been the compassion fatigue of what happens when you're around little
children and giving your all to them all day.
I just wanted to mention that as a caveat, because compassion usually helps,
but you can overload. Feeling hopeful about the future
activates the parasympathetic nervous system renewal process.
And although in out 2005 book, Resonant Leadership, I didn't go, we didn't go
into it and we can I, just focused on mindfulness, hope and compassion.
In the last three years the research has come out that I think is pretty con-,
convincing, that laughter, joy and playfulness also stimulates the renewal
process in the human body. So, one of the things that this says to
us is, it is hopeful, it is a hopeful message.
That yes, despite the amount of stress that we're under, unintentional or
intentional, we can ameliorate it, or the ravages of it, by practicing certain
things each day. Now, the dosage ends up being critical,
because you can't wait 'til the weekend and kind of try to binge rest.
For a couple of reasons, one, rest isn't the same as renewal.
Your body needs rest but that's not the same as renewal.
Secondly, if you worked two or three 60, 80 hours week or you're working multiple
jobs and all the sudden you get two days off, that is not going to make up for
three weeks of what you've done to your body and mind.