Live Whole Health Blog #97: Loving Kindness Practice

The loving kindness meditation is a practice that has shown to improve connections with others, reduce feelings of anger, and foster empathy and compassion.

With the holidays fast approaching, it is easy to get caught up in thinking about all the things in our lives that are just “not right.” The state of our wallets, the unfinished chores around the house, relationships that are strained. Life can be hard sometimes. When we focus on what is not right, we often miss those beautiful moments when we can feel gratitude for what  is right, and feeling gratitude is a great way to help improve our health and well-being.

This simple practice of sharing good-will to oneself and others can make a difference in how we see our day-to-day struggles.

A VA study found that a 12-week course of loving kindness meditation was just as effective as one of VA’s front-line treatments – cognitive processing therapy (CPT) – for treating PTSD.

Loving kindness meditation involves a silent repetition of phrases intended to bring out feelings of kindness for oneself and others. It uses mindfulness techniques to teach people skills to move away from self-criticism and negative thoughts.

Join Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD in this 10-minute practice of Loving Kindness to help you prepare of the holiday season:

As you prepare for spending time with family and friends, consider ways that you can enhance your health and your life by improving those relationships that mean the most to you. A Whole Health approach to family, friends, and coworkers emphasizes the importance of healthy relationships for overall health and well-being.

For more information on self-care through the Whole Health Components of Health and Well-Being, visit: Family, Friends, and Co-workers: Connecting For Whole Health – Whole Health (va.gov).