How Could Something Like Generosity Impact Your Health?

How Could Something Like Generosity Impact Your Health?

I was hiking in the woods near my house the other day and started reflecting on Generosity. People are always talking about generosity and I was thinking about what I had done to be generous in my life.

Some people tell me I’m generous, but some of my friends suggest that I’m not generous enough. My first thoughts about it were that I give money when its needed and contribute to my favorite charities freely. But I’ve had a tendency to be shy about sharing myself.

I had an opportunity on a conference call to be the first to speak. Usually I don’t volunteer to speak first, especially about myself. In this instance, I had called in first so I was asked to say my piece. As I opened my mouth, I was a little nervous, “what should I share, and was my commentary valuable?”

As I was hiking I began thinking about what it really means to be generous. I felt like it was more than giving of your money, or time, which is one way. But the other is to be generous with yourself. Sharing yourself doesn’t necessarily mean bragging about what you’re up to, or whining about your problems. It means allowing yourself to be seen in whatever way is appropriate for you. Humbly, openly, honestly.

Where would you think that your body is holding generosity? How could that even be something? Our bodies are energy systems and they need to move energy or they become stagnant. Energy is all about giving and receiving, it needs to flow, it doesn’t like standing still. You always hear when people talk about abundance that they need to give, be generous in order to receive. That is also true with health. The left side of the body is about receiving energy. The right side is about giving energy, love, healing, generosity. If you tend to have problems with your left side, and it’s a bit of a pattern, it might be because you need to be using the energy that you are receiving from the universe by giving more, or because you aren’t open to receiving energy. Likewise, if you have more problems on your right side, maybe you haven’t opened up to giving the energy you have available.

You might find if you hold back from being who you want to be in your life, that your body begins to give you more trouble. The more you allow fear to hold you back, the more you might notice certain physical issues arising.

It doesn’t mean you have to give away all your money or whatever you have, it means, you may need to be using your body to help others heal, or to give energy to people, or to share who you are more with the world.

If this is you, imagine yourself putting out energy into the world. Stand in a room and hold your arms out, imagine what you would be putting out there. Let it flow into the left side of your body, while you allow your giving energy to come out the right.

Another interpretation of generosity is the willingness to make time for your own self. How often do you set aside your own needs to take care of something or someone else? When you do that you set yourself up for creating lack in your life. The first person to be generous with is yourself. Can you find ways of giving something to yourself today? And I don’t mean buying a candy bar or treat and eating it. I mean, can you sit and feel your body for a few minutes or take a nice bubble bath, or go outside for a hike, or take a course you would love to take but not sure you have the “time”.

One last observation I’ve had about generosity for myself. I’ve made a practice of spending time every day reflecting on the many good things in my life. Funnily, when I’m feeling more grateful, I’m also feeling much much more generous! They seem to go together.