Six Ways To Celebrate World Kindness Day & To Boost Your Own Wellbeing

wellbeing expert has urged people to get involved in World Kindness Day to boost their own well-being. 

Lynn Crilly says kindness is much more than ‘a nice thing to do’ as it can have a positive effect on both our mental and physical health. 

Her comments come ahead of World Kindness Day, ( 13 November) and urges individuals and communities to embrace kindness in all their actions. 

Lynn said World Kindness Day is a great opportunity to come together. 

“When we experience kindness, our brain releases a hormone called dopamine which boosts our mood,” she explains.

“When a stone is dropped into water it creates waves. Acts of kindness have that same ripple effect. Studies have shown that when we are kind, it inspires others to be kind, spreading outwards to friends, their friends and their friends. 

“That three degrees of separation means when a person is kind to another it could positively affect up to 125 people.”

The saying is that kindness costs nothing, and with many people concerned about their income, Lynn has provided ways of including kindness into your everyday life  which don’t cost a penny:

  1. Volunteer your time

You might be cash poor but if you have a little extra time in your schedule, you should try to volunteer. Giving up some of your free time to help others can make their day. This can make you feel good in the process. By giving your time to causes you support you can also meet new people who share your interests and perhaps create new friends. Helping out in an animal shelter or visiting elderly people who may be lonely are just two ideas where your time can make a real impact. 

  1. Hugging Helps

One of the best ways of showing kindness and support to friends and loved ones is to give them a hug.  “Oxytocin, also called the ‘cuddle hormone’ , is released from human contact,” she says. “It can help lower the heart rate and reduce stress levels and can even help reduce pain from inflammation and promote wound healing.”

  1. Provide a helping hand

Random acts of kindness can be easier than you think. Whether it’s holding a door open for someone who has their hands full or the person behind you entering a store, it takes about ten seconds of your time and shows that other person that they do matter. Another way to offer a helping hand is to check in on a neighbour to see if they need any help with jobs. You can double up the social interaction by taking them shopping or to an appointment, rather than just doing the task for them. 

Offering a random act of kindness can be easier than you may think. One of the easiest ways to share your positive energy is to hold the door open for someone. Whether it’s an elderly person, a person with their hands full, or just the man or woman following you into the store, you don’t need a reason to hold the door. It costs you roughly ten seconds of your time and can make the other person’s day.

  1. Pay a compliment

We tend to gravitate towards people that show us kindness. This is mainly because kindness reduces the emotional distance between each other and helps us to feel more bonded. One way of showing kindness to someone else is to pay them a compliment. It costs nothing, can help boost self-esteem and it could even help bridge a gap which might exist between two people. 

  1. Donate your unwanted items

We all have things in our houses – and particularly our wardrobes – we don’t use. The items you take off the shelf only to dust aren’t doing you any good, but they could make a real difference to someone else. Those on the lowest incomes rely on charity shops or sites like recycle for everyday items. And the charity shops themselves need good quality donations so they can continue to support their work. 

  1. Offer technological help

For younger people who are more likely to be short of cash, their knowledge of digital technology can be so helpful to the older generation. As more of life moves online, including access to healthcare, taking time to help someone get online or show them how to use an app is a great way of helping others. Plus, it allows you to spend time with someone who might be lonely – but also has a lot of life experience they can share. 

WORLD KINDNESS DAY: Five reasons kindness can boost your health and wellbeing

“Kindness costs nothing … yet is the most priceless gift one can give.”

A leading campaigner on mental health has urged Brits to be kind as it can help others and boost you own wellbeing. 

And Lynn Crilly, who is also a mental health counsellor, says the “kindness of strangers” can often be the perfect tonic for someone experiencing a life crisis. 

Speaking on World Kindess Day – which is celebrated today (November 13) Lynn  said: “We often talk of the “kindness of strangers’ ‘ – and there’s no doubt that, sometimes, the very best support can arrive from a place you least expect it.

“Three years ago, at the start of lockdown, many people were inspired to reach out to each other with kindness. They were motivated to do the right thing by supporting and uplifting one another in the face of adversity,

“However, as the pandemic continued, it began to grind people down. They became tired, and less tolerant of each other. 

“Then, as the world began to emerge from the pandemic, it soon became clear the devastating effect it had had on people’s mental health. 

Addressing the issues many people currently face in their lives, Lynn continued: “People have been living in a state of uncertainty ever since, with the economy, climate, war and the high interest rates, all compounding many of mental health issues people may have today.

“That’s why I hope lots of people show kindness today and in the future.”

Lynn became a counsellor after one of her daughter’s, Samantha, fell into the trap of Anorexia Nervosa and OCD, at the age of 13. She explored every avenue and source of help, but they were not right.  Lynn felt she had no option but to educate herself and learn as much as she could about eating disorders and mental illness. 

Here Lynn shares five reasons why it can make a difference both to you, and the person sitting by your side:

It encourages us to reset the idea of ‘KINDNESS’.

Kindness is much more than ‘a nice thing to do’ It plays a vital role in our overall well-being. Research has shown that kindness has a positive effect on both our mental and physical health – whether we are showing kindness, receiving kindness, or just watching kindness. How wonderful is that?

It can help us to feel happier:

When we experience kindness, a hormone called dopamine is released in our brain which uplifts our mood. It is often referred to as ‘Helper’s High’.

Kindness improves relationships: 

We tend to gravitate towards people that show us kindness. This is mainly because kindness reduces the emotional distance between each other and helps us to feel more bonded.

Kindness is good for the heart:

When we show kindness to one another it makes us feel all warm inside. Acts of kindness are often accompanied by a feeling of emotional warmth, which in turn 

produces the hormone oxytocin in the body. Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide, which expands the blood vessels, reduces blood pressure, and protects the heart.

Kindness slows ageing:

Kindness has been proven to slow the ageing process. Research shows that oxytocin can reduce levels of free radicals and inflammation (two main culprits of ageing) in our cardiovascular system. This also slows ageing at the source.

And finally, kindness is contagious:

When a stone is dropped into water it creates waves, acts of kindness of the same ripple effect. When we are kind, it inspires others to be kind, studies show that it creates a ripple effect. 

That spreads outwards, to friends, their friends, and their friends – that is a great three degrees of separation. So, when a person is kind to another it could positively affect up to 125 people. How cool is that?

The busy, complicated technology fuelled world we live in today desperately needs more kindness, which will not only give all the above benefits but also restore faith in human nature and give people hope. 

So, we should also remember we should not need a special day to show one another kindness. We should aim to make it part of our everyday life. Remember kindness costs nothing – yet is the most priceless gift of all.

Healthy Tip: Kindness for Heart Health

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Kindness for Heart Health

The 13th of November is World Kindness Day, an international day formed in 1998 to promote kindness throughout the world.

The idea alone is fantastic, as the more kindness we can get into our lives the better, but did you know that kindness can have a physiological impact on your body and contribute to a healthy heart?

The love hormone

When we witness acts of kindness or do something kind ourselves, we produce a hormone called oxytocin, which is often referred to as the ‘love hormone’.

Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical that dilates our blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease, therefore regularly producing oxytocin can have a protective effect on our heart.

Stress

Some studies have shown that those who are consistently kind have 23% less cortisol (the stress hormone) than those who are not.

Long-term high levels of cortisol can negatively impact our cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Therefore, engaging in regular acts of kindness may help keep our stress hormones at bay and protect our heart.

Contagiousness

Kindness is contagious and both those who do the kind act and those who witness it can benefit. When we witness a kind act, we experience a boost in mood and some people even report higher energy, this makes us much more likely to commit a kind act ourselves.

Furthermore, when you carry out an act of kindness, you indirectly have a positive impact on the heart health of those who are observing, as they too receive a surge of the cardioprotective ‘love hormone’, oxytocin.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips.

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/.

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/.

Celebrating The National Lottery’s £96m investment into Scottish befriending projects

To mark World Kindness Day today, and as part of the National Lottery’s 25th Birthday celebrations, The National Lottery Community Fund is shining a spotlight on the £96 million it has invested into befriending projects in Scotland over the last 25 years.

During this time, The National Lottery has given money to over 920 befriending projects in Scotland, providing companionship for people of all ages.

Continue reading Celebrating The National Lottery’s £96m investment into Scottish befriending projects

For one day only: WONDER free screening

To celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13th, Lionsgate UK will join in the spirit of the day by welcoming audiences across the country to free preview screenings of Lionsgate’s WONDER more than two weeks ahead of its December 1st UK release. Members of the public will have the opportunity to be amongst the first to see the inspiring, heart-warming film in over 300 cinemas nationwide for one day only. Continue reading For one day only: WONDER free screening