Weekly: Be the hope
Old Happy: "Deep down, people are bad."
New Happy: “Deep down, people are good."
Experiencing or witnessing pain has the ability to change us in one of two ways.
It can make us more compassionate, more accepting, and more courageous versions of ourselves—or it can do the opposite, making us cynical, hardened, and apathetic.
When there is so much pain all around, it can feel terrifying to allow yourself to open up to it. Neuroscience studies have shown that, when we observe someone else in pain, it can lead to an empathic experience of pain within ourselves. It hurts our common humanity deeply to see another person suffer, let alone the scale at which we can see it happening around our world. Empathy connects us, but because it activates our own pain, it can lead us to shut ourselves down and off from connection.
That’s why we need to move from empathy to compassion, which is the experience of being moved by another’s pain and taking action towards alleviating it. Embodying compassion gives us both the courage and the capacity to face our collective suffering, and to do something to make it a little bit better.
Here's how to make this shift:
Witness the pain of another
Acknowledge any of your own pain that comes up because of it
Set an intention that you will use this moment to embody compassion
Look for one way to help the person in pain, and offer that help to them
With repeated practice, we can return to ourselves as we really are. Because, deep down at your core, you are not cynical, hard, or apathetic. You are loving. You are connected to other people. You are good. That's you. And when you see that, you can also see other people as they really are, too.
Tips and Tools
1. Facing it — This week's animation.
2. A bit of good — You don't see the full picture.
3. Break the cycle — Three questions.
4. Reset and recover — You can let go of The Perfect Life.
5. Does it color your day? — How to find them.
More from TNH
Book — Order New Happy today to find true happiness.
Podcast — Get a daily morning pep talk — in five minutes or less
Speaking — Book us to speak to your team about well-being, resilience, and productivity.
Articles — Read more articles on our website.
Community
Where are you finding hope or joy right now?
"In my child's wonder."
"In the simple things that I can control."
"The fact that people are still showing up to care for each other."
"In learning new skills."
"Volunteering!"
"In my friends and community who always show up for me."
Before You Go
The Definitive Guide to Happiness
A groundbreaking new approach based on a decade’s worth of research and brought to life with beautiful artwork, New Happy shows you the proven path to happiness.
No spam, just joy.
