29th January – A random act of kindness

Fit in a random act of kindness everyday. This does not have to be a big gesture, or something that takes a lot of time or money. Some of the best random acts of kindness are those small thoughtful actions which show another person that someone cares.

It’s not all about altruism and giving your time and effort to others., as both the giver and receiver of random acts of kindness experience positive psychological benefit, as both have increased feelings of social connection.

Sometimes the recipient of an act of kindness may know the giver, but this is not necessary, an anonymous act of kindness can be just as good.

Evidence shows that increasing the number of positive social interactions you have, even if these are very brief moments of connectivity, is positively linked to increased longevity and improvements in health and physiological measures (such as heart rate and blood pressure). In summary, being kind is actually good for you!

❤️Some ideas for random acts of kindness:
🧡make someone a cuppa
💛deliver a treat for someone who is isolating (socially distanced of course!)
💚run an errand for someone 
💙Drop a handwritten note or card through someones letterbox (we received a keeping-in-touch card this week from friends and this created smiles all round!)
💜Reach out to someone who you haven’t been in touch with for a while with with a text message or via social media.

Back in December I received in the post an unexpected gift of a picture, sent by a good friend I was at university with. This picture has brought me joy every time I look at it since, with warm memories of my friend, I am very grateful for her kindness in sending me a lovely gift.