Being encouraged can lift someone’s spirits, calm anger and instill hope but did you know there are also great benefits to the one who encourages?
Life for many of us looks quite different than just a couple of months ago. We have had to change our schedules and routines and most of us had to forgo fun activities due to social distancing.
Many of the areas within ourselves can be attacked due to these changes and restrictions. When you encourage someone else, it not only helps them but provides you with benefits that don’t just keep you going, but keep you going well. Here are some of those benefits:
- Increased Hope. When you give someone a kind word and promote them with forward movement you are provided with an abundance of hope.
- Increased Energy. Depression and isolation can easily lead us to a place of lethargy and leave us with no drive for accomplishment. Encouraging another increases your own energy and drive.
- Changes Perspective. Have you ever been stuck in a particular perspective only to realize after the situation has past that other perspectives were just as valid? Being an encourager enables us to see life differently in a positive way.
- Increased confidence and self-esteem. Regardless of how much or little you view yourself, this is increased when you selflessly take time to encourage others.
- Sense of Validation. Although your work, family, social life and many other things may look different, being an encourager increases your validation. This validation reminds you that even though many things are not going the way you have planned, its okay to have feelings about them. Giving yourself this allowance to have these feelings enables you to work through your feelings rather than your feelings controlling your own thoughts and actions.
I encourage you to find ways to encourage others today. If this comes easily for you, challenge yourself and set a number of the people you want to encourage. If this doe not come naturally, start by intentionally encouraging one person and allow that experience to grow.
You can encourage with a phone call, FaceTime, letter, gift or plenty of other creative ways to reach people even when we are asked to keep physical distance. Remember that physical distance is not the same as relational distance.
