“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
This quote has always resonated deeply with me, and it reflects my own philosophy as a therapist: to begin with kindness, always. When people come into therapy, they’re often carrying struggles that aren’t visible on the surface—worries that keep them up at night, feelings of not being good enough, or the heavy weight of circumstances they didn’t always choose. Approaching those struggles with judgment or impatience doesn’t help. But starting from a place of kindness opens the door to healing.
Life has never been easy, but the nature of our struggles changes with time. Previous generations faced greater scarcity, wars, or limited opportunities. Today, many of us face challenges that look different but are no less real—constant digital noise, pressure to “keep up,” financial strain, or the quiet weight of loneliness. Every era has its own battles.
Kindness doesn’t make those battles disappear, but it changes how we move through them. I see, time and again, how small acts of compassion ripple outward—softening tension in a relationship, helping someone feel safe enough to open up, or reminding a stranger they’re not invisible.
For me, kindness isn’t just a nice sentiment—it’s the foundation of my work. When we approach ourselves and others with kindness first, we create the conditions for change, growth, and connection. And that is often what makes the “hard battles” of life just a little easier to bear.
