Mariela Enjoying the Outdoors
Mariela, la Chilena, is a Social Service Worker (SSW), who works with a variety of people helping them to make right decisions and maintain psychiatric stability while connecting them to important organizations and services that can help them improve their lives.
Each week Mariela will answer questions from Dos Lives readers about any subject, so don’t be shy. She understands some of the issues exclusive to Latinos and Latinas and is here to help. E-mail her your questions at mariela@doslives.com. Don’t worry, your e-mail won’t be published.
So, here’s Mariela’s first post:
On a rainy day, I went running in a park. There were a lot of snails on the pavement and runners were stepping on them carelessly. The snails had escaped from the lawn because of the rain. And after the rain stopped, they were trying to return to the lawn. A 5-year old boy, was carefully moving the snails back to the lawn. When I asked the boy what he was doing, he replied “I don’t want the snails to be smashed. Maybe these snails have children waiting for them at home. I’m just giving them a ride”.
That child not only saved many baby snails from becoming orphans but he also increased the serotonin level of many park visitors who witnessed this act of kindness.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter known to modulate mood, sleep, and appetite. Decreased levels of serotonin have been linked to depression. Prescription drugs can increase serotonin levels in the brain.
Research results have shown that giving and receiving an act of kindness also increases serotoninergic transmision. However, the good new doesn’t stop there, anyone who witnesses or hears the act of kindness later benefits from its therapeutic effect.
Be kind, compliment others, be positve, be nice to animals, be nice to strangers and look for beauty around you!
Remember, e-mail me your questions at mariela@doslives.com and watch for my advice every Wednesday, only on www.DosLives.com.
- Mariela
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