When divorce happens, we go through a myriad of emotions and thoughts. One of the most common thoughts is the one to do with failure.
Anna Pinkerton author of How to Smile Again – a fabulous new book on helping people in public life recover from traumatic break down and founder of The Magic of Kindness – Challenging brutality of thought & action, talks about the real meaning of kindness to ourselves and how that then permeates the rest of society.
How by starting with our deep thoughts and noticing our train of thoughts, we can then be able to show that same kindness that we cultivate within us to those around us.
Anna is also a clinician art psychotherapist working with people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
What is The Magic of Kindness or the meaning of kindness?
It’s about cultivating an atmosphere of consideration, care and companionship.
Without cultivating a kindness towards ourselves we cannot truly afford kindness towards others.
With The Magic of Kindness, we learn to build a relationship with ourselves by being gentle with our thoughts, our thought processes and our actions.
By doing this and being aware of our sad thoughts, our negative thoughts and deep thoughts for example, we don’t then breathe within us the need to be unkind to others or to elevate ourselves by diminishing and reducing those around us.
So by creating an atmosphere for ourselves that’s more kind and supportive, we produce it for others as well. So acts of kindness cannot truly have their power without there being the process of kindness of thought first.
What is kindness of thought?
You need to become aware of your own brutality of thought and where that brutality of thought comes from?
Kindness of thought is when you accept that you do have thoughts that are not conducive to your own wellbeing. Those “random” thoughts that affect the way we then treat ourselves and hence those around us.
When you become aware of those negative thoughts then you accept that we have had it and not beat ourselves up for having them.
You can change that train of thought by just noticing that that’s what you’ve done, that you have had a brutal thought towards yourself. Notice it without judgement. Then know how to give it up.
Anna Pinkerton talks about her Magic of Kindness workshop. How it came about and why it’s one of the most important journey’s anyone can go through today.
Here’s the interview. Enjoy and do contact Anna on anna@annapinkerton.com Phone: 07899 688845.