What is it about?
This article focusses on positive psychology interventions that consider how we can carry out more acts of kindness to others while experiencing their uplifting effect through contemporary use in the field of mental health nursing. It further explains neurological changes when they are practised. Finally, it emphasises the importance of effective leadership in how the application of kindness can benefit the individual, the organisation and the client.
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Why is it important?
Being at work takes a considerable amount of conscious time in which positive experiences will be mixed with a range of negative emotions including anger, conflict and stress. The ability to connect amicably as well as handling setbacks helps us to survive in the organisation and develop personal resilience. A way of enhancing this survival is by using kindness interventions that aim to promote altruistic behaviours towards others, while fostering positive emotions in the benefactor.
Perspectives
There have been many changes in mental health nursing, where distributing medication and restricting liberty in certain cases play their part, but there are far more therapeutic interactions that mental health nurses can bring into their practice. There is still ‘no cure’ for many conditions, despite great progress being made, so it is to our humanity and people skills we turn to in times of others’ distress and vulnerability. There are barriers to the demonstration of kindness and compassion, although they will never date and will always be valuable instruments in our caring toolkit. They will, of course, be far more effective if supported by the right people, with the right systems, in the right environment, to be able to deliver truly compassionate care.
Mrs Jan Macfarlane
University of Bolton
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Positive psychology: kindness and its role within mental health nursing, British Journal of Mental Health Nursing, August 2020, Mark Allen Group,
DOI: 10.12968/bjmh.2020.0024.
You can read the full text:
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