They just looked forward to seeing her. In short order, Jane felt a little better about her future, and her tolerance for medication actually improved. Compassion is part of our wiring. When infants cry in the nursery, others also begin to cry. When a child in nursery school gets reprimanded, all the children feel frightened and concerned.
Children respond to pain in others.
To deny or inhibit that compassion interferes with mental health. To care for others releases endorphins, helps us feel better about ourselves, and enables us to feel as though we belong. Recently, while driving alone to give a lecture, my directions fell on the floor. Unable to reach them from my wheelchair, I pulled into an isolated gas station where a tough-looking teenage attendant approached my van. When I explained what happened, he got busy trying to figure out where to place the directions where I could see them without taking my eyes off the road.