Caring for others is about showing kindness and offering
13
What do‘caring & gentleness’ mean to you? Caring for others is about showing kindness and offering physical & emotional support. It is about showing empathy, love and acceptance; caring for ourselves mirrors our outward care and underpins our ability to care for others. Gentleness is a sign of true strength, it is the way we connect with others and approach situations with compassion & tenderness. It is our ability to speak the truth, even difficult truths, in a way which others are able to hear or receive well. It is our approach to supporting others with a strong helping hand cushioned by a light touch. Gill Swift, Counsellor
Caring for others is about showing kindness and offering
Caring for others is about showing kindness and offering physical
&
emotional support. It is about showing empathy, love and
acceptance; caring for ourselves mirrors our outward care and
underpins our ability to care for others.
Gentleness is a sign of true strength, it is the way we connect
with others and approach
situations with compassion & tenderness. It is our ability to
speak the truth, even difficult truths, in a way which
others are able to hear or receive well. It is our approach to
supporting others with a strong helping hand cushioned
by a light touch.
Gill Swift, Counsellor
How has a lack of care about equality and injustice affected
communities everywhere?
Do you agree that caring about people & issues in life only
come
with maturity?
What, or who, do YOU care about enough to speak out on or act
to
support?
Discuss these ideas of ‘caring & gentleness’ with friends or
family.
How many times have people gently showing that they care changed
the world for better?
Demonstrators lie on the ground facing a police line in front of
the White House during protests over the death of George Floyd in
Washington DC on Wednesday
Lord, Forgive me the times when my words are harsh and my actions
cruel – to myself and to others. Please give me a gentleness of
spirit that I may care for myself and care enough for each and
every member of our human family to take action when needed.
Amen
Whose life will you make a
difference to this week, with your
care and gentleness?
g Caring & Gentleness This week’s theme is caring &
gentleness.
Caring can be defined as displaying
kindness & concern for others or the act of looking after
others. Gentleness can be
defined as the quality of being kind, tender or mild mannered, a
lightness or softness
of action. So gentleness might be the approach we use when caring
for others.
As caring for others fits so well with our love & kindness
wellbeing resource from
last week, we will focus this week on gentleness and
self-care.
C a rm
Gentle communication can enable us to offer our
opinions to others in a way that they are more likely to
receive well
others enabling healthier relationships.
Gentleness enables us to interact with others in a kind and
compassionate
way
Gentleness can enable us to offer a justified and focused response
to difficult situations or
things that make us feel angry
Dealing with such things in a gentle way can enable us to
avoid responding aggressively an therefor reduce negative
feelings such as guilt and regret
A gentle person attracts the trust of
others through consistency &
el W
el lb
ei n
g How do we show gentleness? Understand yourself, acknowledge your
own feelings and emotional responses to stuff. This can help
prevent a build up of unrecognized feelings and help prevent us
reacting
inappropriately to situations.
When something difficult happens, take a metaphorical step back,
allow yourself the time to consider what has happened and how you
truly feel about it. This will allow you to respond to the
situation in a way you feel is justified and help you to give
a
response you are proud to own.
Begin to break down those protective walls, we all have them, built
brick by brick of times when we have felt let down or hurt by
others. We stop caring so we don’t get hurt but this can become
isolating. Allow yourself
to care, it may feel like a risk but it invites opportunities of
love, friendship and meaningful, healthy relationships with
others
Allow yourself to be open to the value and importance of others and
situations, embrace your ability to choose what matters to you, who
matters to you, how you respond to situations and the opinions and
behaviours of others. Connect
with others who are effected, this can help develop your own
perception.
Take time to reflect on your own experiences and observe others to
fuel your own growth, awareness & empathy.
C a rm
feelings
confidence
It reminds you & others of your value and that your needs
are
important
negative feelings
It increases empathy – understanding how to care for ourselves
can
help us to better understand how to care
for others
el W
el lb
ei n
g How do we practice self-care? Develop healthy routines with daily
stuff such as sleeping, eating
and exercising.
Give yourself permission to say no to others when this feels right
and make sure to make time for yourself to avoid burnout.
Spend time outside, making time to be more mindful. This can help
reduce fatigue, reduce stress, lower blood pressure and
reduce
symptoms of low mood.
If you have a pet spend time with them, they can offer
unconditional love and companionship and can reduce stress &
feelings of anxiety
Get organised – feeling more in control of what you need to do and
how you plan to do it can reduce stress and promote
motivation.
Don’t forget to plan in time for self-care!
Make time to play and time to relax
C a rm
leaving an impact on people, brings
happiness.” Harold Kushner
outrageously kind, irrationally warm,
improbably generous. I promise it will be a blast.” Sasha
Dicter
“From caring comes
courage.” Lao Tzu
heroic.” Edward Albert
represents life’s greatest value.” Jim
Rohn
being tuned in to the thing or person
before you & offering small
time.” Mary Anne Radmacher
gentleness, nothing is so gentle as real
strength.” Saint Francis
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
Elizabeth George “Gentleness is the
antidote for cruelty.” Phaedrus
https://www.themix.org.uk/mental-
health/looking-after-yourself/a-guide-to-self-
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/cl
ick-here-happiness/201812/self-care-12-
ways-take-better-care-yourself
contain ED triggers
www.findgoodfeelings.com
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/
what-matters-most/202005/gentleness-is-