Happy World Kindness Day!
‘In a gentle way, you can shake the world’ – M. Gandhi.
To celebrate the World Kindness Day, we are sharing an important message about the power of kindness. You will also find a list of ‘Acts of Kindness’ that can be implemented in your daily life.
The world today can feel a bit busy, stressful and heavy. We hope this blog will bring you a pocketful of positivity!
What is World Kindness Day?
Founded in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, the World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on the 13th November. 28 nations are currently involved in the World Kindness Movement. It encourages people to be kind to each other, spread happiness, joy and peace around the world*.
Did you know that…
- Perpetually kind people have 23% less cortisol (stress hormone) and age slower than the average population**?
- Kindness can help you live longer? It has been proven that engaging in kindness lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system and has therapeutic benefits***. Most importantly: It’s limitless and it’s free!
M. Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘In a gentle way, you can shake the world’. Meaning, don’t underestimate the little things that can make a big difference. A small act of kindness may not seem a lot from your perspective, but it can make someone’s day. Remember the last time somebody held the door open for you, simply smiled or gave you an honest compliment? Or the last time you gave someone a compliment and they appreciated it? How did that make you feel?
Observe the little things!
In today’s digital age it could be argued that it is becoming increasingly challenging to listen to somebody without being interrupted by a social media nudge, to hold the door open instead of holding onto a phone, to smile at a person instead of smiling at a screen or to simply observe other people’s kindness around us. Stopping and reflecting on what each of us can do to be kinder in our own lives is more important today than ever before, and is part of what makes us all human.
Kindness means doing something good without an expectation of a reward. Being empathetic and treating others as you would like to be treated is enough to engage in kindness. We have a list of 10 small and simple things you can do to show friendliness, compassion, generosity and consideration. We encourage you to utilise at least one of these acts today in your school, workplace, home or public space.
10 Acts of Kindness
- Give someone an honest compliment.
- Volunteer for a cause you care about.
- Smile at somebody.
- Donate unwanted clothes.
- Collect litter that you see on the ground when you’re out and about.
- Pay for someone’s meal/drink if you are able to.
- Do a favour without asking for anything in return.
- Share an uplifting message online or in real life (feel free to share this blog too!).
- Lend somebody your favourite book.
- Take the time to truly listen to someone.
Remember:
‘Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see’
– Mark Twain.
* World Kindess day https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/world-kindness-day-2019/ .
** Kindness health facts – https://www.dartmouth.edu/wellness/emotional/rakhealthfacts.pdf .
*** Why being kind can help you live longer – https://bbc.in/2O9S7ae .
