Weekly focus - Good Manners
The Importance of Good Manners
Headspace is a wonderful site with lots of great information to support our student’s mental health. This information about manners is from their site.
‘Good manners cost nothing. These are wise words that we probably remember being taught as children, and those who are now parents probably repeat to their own kids.
But while these gifts are free to give, the simple offerings of being polite and kind — like saying please and thank you, listening carefully, and making eye contact with people — can bring huge benefits to ourselves and those around us.
They can help us appear more confident, maintain more fulfilling personal relationships, lead to us prospering at work and generally enjoying happier and healthier lives.
But what we probably didn’t realize when we were being taught to be well-mannered as children — and perhaps those teaching it didn’t recognize either — is that when we were learning about good manners, we were often learning about mindfulness.
By living more mindfully, it can lead to us naturally having better manners and help us to live a more prosperous life — without spending a cent.
What are good manners?
By practicing basic good manners, we are showing those around us that we respect them and are considerate to their feelings. This makes them feel better, and us too.
Most of us have heard the old adage: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This wisdom is so ingrained in our life lessons, it has become known as “the golden rule.”
Examples of good manners can manifest themselves in seemingly small actions and rewards — like holding the door open for someone and receiving a silent smile of recognition in return. But it can also make or break crucial relationships and be the difference between harmony and conflict at home, at work, or even between countries and cultures on the world stage.
Like any rule, there are some exceptions, and we must appreciate that others’ experiences, needs, and boundaries can be different from our own.’