Day 5 - “Burnish the Blaze”
Endear yourself to your partner through acts of altruism, while at the same time decreasing your personal stress levels and enhancing the positivity of your own mindset.
A study of over 2000 people discovered that acts of giving and/or service decreases stress and strongly contributes to improved mental health. The study, by Sonja Lyubomirsky, found that individuals who completed five acts of kindness over the course of one day reported feeling much happier than control groups.
Most importantly, in this study, the positivity lingered for many subsequent days, long after the experiment was over! This mood longevity is especially critical in love relationships, because it can keep partners from being overwhelmed with the dangerous fog of negativity that can permeate lover’s quarrels.
Challenge:
Infuse long-term positivity into your relationship this week by identifying one day and five premeditated acts of kindness you can do for your lover. Keep in mind that in order to reap the full psychological benefit, these demonstrations must be done deliberately and consciously. However, they do not have to be grand gestures. Simply plan them out, execute them, and watch your feelings soar. Remember, the benefit your partner reaps from your magnanimity is secondary to the power this has on your own heart!
Go the Extra Mile:
Amplify the impact by planning your “Day of Kindness” several days ahead. Giving yourself something to look forward to has been proven to light up the pleasure centers in your brain as much as the actual event will. Heighten your happiness by augmenting it with anticipation!
Journal Your Experience:
Document your service with a creative record: take selfies of yourself while you are executing the kindly deed, or of your honey as he/she receives the surprise of your service. You could even share the love by posting your snapshots on social media.
Share Your Experience with me, by emailing Gina@MarriagesWorthMillions.com
Questions? I’m only an email away. Send your comments, queries, questions or quibbles to me at Gina@MarriagesWorthMillions.com.