Seeing Through a Lens of Kindness

By: Lindsey Bernhardt

Just last week I found myself in a situation where I was privy to both frustrating behaviors and acts of kindness from the adults around me. I found myself in a hospital surrounded by different hospital workers and social workers who displayed both trauma-informed techniques as well as strategies that I would argue were detrimental to both the patients and the visitors. For example, I heard guards make comments to a young woman such as “You are too old to be doing this” or “Get your act together!” I witnessed hospital administration refusing to give someone their cell phone due to their policies when the act of not giving it back made things much worse. On the other hand, I observed nurses caring for patients well into the late evening, police officers ensuring everyone’s safety, and social workers who stayed beyond their normal shifts to support patients’ and guests’ social and emotional needs. As the chaos and the stark differences in how people were treated surrounded me, it got me thinking of the choices we make every day - choices to be someone who is kind, or someone who makes a situation more challenging for others.

Through the work we do at InMind, I have been blessed to see through a lens that I have learned that starts with being aware that it exists. A lens that offers a different viewpoint into the way people function, behave, think, act and react. A lens that is easy to obtain and one that can simply be worn by being kind, understanding, empathetic, and sympathetic. Through a basic understanding of how trauma affects our brains, we can see through our own eyes how to give people the benefit of the doubt; to understand their unique background, to be proactive in our support, to enhance regulating techniques, and much more. As we enter the month of celebrating love, diversity, and more, I encourage each of you to put on a lens that searches for kindness, offers support, and sees everyone as wanting to be simply understood and supported.