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Charlotte Armitage, a media and business psychologist.
As Armitage explains: “Kindness is not typically associated with strength but, in actual fact, sometimes it’s the strongest people who are able to be the kindest; they don’t feel the need to use defences, or put up barriers to protect themselves, and can therefore offer genuine kindness because they feel safe and secure with who they are.
“To truly offer kindness shows a level of psychological strength and resilience which is grounded in acceptance of oneself. This level of acceptance requires a significant amount of internal strength and takes hard work to achieve.”
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Being kind to yourself can also have a significant impact on your health, too – a recent study carried out by academics at the universities of Exeter and Oxford found that taking time to think positive thoughts about oneself and building a kind inner voice has the potential to calm your heart rate and even boost the immune system.