Kindness

 “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” ~ Aesop

Today’s reflection is on the word kindness.  In its simplest form, kindness is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.  Sometimes we think of kindness as a grand gesture that involves a lot of time and planning.  While there are examples of large scale events to show kindness, we can incorporate kindness into our lives in a more simplified manner.  A quick email to a loved one to show that they are thought of, an extra batch of cookies to share with a neighbor, or a phone call to someone who isn’t able to get out during this pandemic are all small ways to spread kindness.  Additionally, when we focus on kindness and doing something for others, we are helping to build many of the character traits we talked about already – gratitude, humility, and courage.  The simple act of doing something for others helps to reduce the focus on ourselves and the anxiety that we might be feeling.  Scientists have found that acts of kindness cause our bodies to produce the chemicals dopamine and serotonin which are responsible for feelings of calmness and happiness.  Behaviorally, research has even showed that random acts of kindness reduces social anxiety (e.g., people who performed acts of kindness experience positive reactions from others and this helps to lessen their fear about a future negative social experience).  The benefits of kindness are found in both the giver and the receiver.  Doing something kind for others can give you a sense of purpose and help us focus on others instead of ourselves.  Many of us have free time that we did not have before to do more acts of kindness.  I challenge each of you to use the time that you have to find ways to spread kindness.  Similar to our Kids with Heart group where we pick a different activity each month for our Pocopson community, here is a website below full of small gestures you can do to spread kindness. 

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/

My Reflections:

2 Challenges

• We are not able to see many of our family and friends so we have less face to face opportunities to show kindness to others. 
• There are so many people who need kindness and support right now –it feels overwhelming to support the many people who need our help.

2 Positives

• There is more time in my day now to send a message to someone or call a friend that I haven’t spoken to in a while.
• I received an unexpected kind note from a family today that reminded me of my purpose in helping others.  It created a ripple effect where I found myself thinking of ways I could spread kindness to people I know.  

What can I do differently tomorrow to show kindness?

• I will look for ways that I can spread kindness to a new person each day.  One way is a simple note/letter of thanks.  There are people who I have wanted to thank for something they have done and I will take the time to do that today.  

Your Reflections:

2 Challenges

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2 Positives

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What can you do differently tomorrow to show kindness?

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