Wellness Wednesday: Kindness: What’s in it for you?

I have written previously about kindness in my blogs. This seems a good week to revisit it as 13 November is World Kindness Day and 09 November is Social Media Kindness Day.

Kindness is well recognised as a force for good in human society. But it might be useful to start with a definition of what kindness means. This definition can be found on kindnessiseverything.com (link below): ‘Kindness is the sincere and voluntary use of one’s time, talent, and resources to better the lives of others, one’s own life, and the world through genuine acts of love, compassion, generosity, and service.’ An act of kindness is only that when you choose to do something and your intention behind it is real. The definition emphasises the intrinsic values behind kindness: sincerity and authenticity.

Demonstrating kindness is often linked to acts of charity. It will be Children in Need Day next week and many of us will be stimulated to donate to this cause based on our feelings of sympathy and compassion for those who can benefit; we often do this having watched the videos on the night. Others will be stimulated to get more heavily involved in all sorts of activities to raise money for this event.

Traditionally, the 3 virtues we are encouraged to practise and display while living our lives are faith, hope and charity. Increasingly nowadays the word ‘charity’ is replaced with ‘love’. At its root, when we practice kindness, we are demonstrating our love and empathy for others, be they friends or family or other members of society. Sometimes these are people whom we perceive to be not as fortunate as ourselves; sometimes they are people who we see in situations that we have experienced, and our kindness is stimulated by empathy.

But what about the bit of the definition above which states that kindness ‘better(s) one’s own life’? There is a lot of research that has demonstrated that practising kindness brings lots of benefits for the giver’s physical and mental health. Carrying out acts of kindness has been shown to help your immune system, reduce stress, give you energy and is good for your heart! Acting in a kind way has been proven to slow ageing and improve relationships. And apparently, kindness is contagious; if someone sees you doing something kind, they are more likely to do something kind. Also, the recipient of kindness often feels stimulated to ‘pass it forwards’.

Look at the Science of Kindness link below to learn more about the positive effects being kind can have for you. It references 3 studies which have shown the very positive benefits of practising kindness for those with mental health problems. Two show that being kind can reduce the negative effects of stress and reduce social anxiety. The third shows that the kindness of forgiving others for past wrongs increases positive feelings. This last is an act of kindness that involves no planning or physical effort and has no financial implications; it is an act of kindness that is within the remit of any person. This doesn’t mean that it involves no effort, and it can be emotionally difficult. Despite this, it would seem to be very worth considering, if only for the benefit it can bring to one’s own mental health and peace of mind.

‘Pledge an Act of Kindness for World Kindness Day’ on kindnessuk.com

‘What is Kindness?’ on kindnessiseverything.com

‘What is kindness, anyway?’ on kindness.org

‘World Kindness Day…Why Being Kind Is Good For Us’ on bbc.co.uk

‘The Science of Kindness’ by Learn Kind

‘The heart and science of kindness’ by Melissa Brodrick on the Harvard Health Blog

‘Why Is Kindness Important & What Are Its Benefits?’ by Akanksha Soni on calmsage.com

‘The Power of Kindness’ by Elizabeth Millard on Experience Life

‘Kindness Makes You Happy… and Happiness Makes You Kind’ by Alex Dixon on Berkeley University’s ‘Greater Good’ webpages

‘Don’t Underestimate the Power of Kindness at Work’ by Ovul Sezer, Kelly Nault, and Nadav Klein on Harvard Business Review

‘Kindness Matters Guide’ on mentalhealth.org.uk

‘Acts of Kindness’ a series of video articles on bbc.co.uk