K is for Kind (Secondary)

It’s nice being nice!

Research around kindness shows us there are three parts or flows to kindness - from us out to others when we help folk out, from others to us when we receive help & finally when we are kind to ourselves (this last one can be super-difficult sometimes).

We feel particularly strong and resilient when all three parts of kindness are balanced.

---

You don’t need a Kickstarter for this

Here’s some great ways to practice kindness

1. Give your time. Make a drink for a member of your family. Do something nice for a friend. Take your turn at doing some family chores. Thank someone and smile! Join a group, probably a virtual one in these changing times. Then write down all your acts of kindness, literally count your kindnesses! Doing these actions helps us remember that we’re connected to people all around us. Notice how you feel when you read your kindness list

2. The pandemic experience has given us more time than ever before to spend time with our families. It might also have annoyed us at times but we bet there’s been moments where you’ve really enjoyed spending time together, when your family have been really kind to you. Spend some time thinking about all the times recently that you’ve enjoyed, describing your experiences of your family’s kindness, what were you all doing, how does this make you feel now? Remember, when we feel connected, it boosts our resilience, it reminds us we’re not alone

3. Finally, the next time you’re feeling a bit stressed, anxious or a little bit sad, try this practice! Pause, take a few deep breaths & bring to mind someone you care about. Imagine you sending them kind, happy thoughts. Notice how this feels & then turn that focus onto you! Ask yourself how can I be kind to myself right now, what support can I give myself? This might feel difficult at first but think of this as if you’re watering the seeds of kindness in your mind - being kind to your mind!

Final take

The world would be unbearable if it wasn’t for acts of kindness, think about it ;)

“Kindness is not weakness although it sometimes gets a bad press. Here’s the science bit - when we think kind thoughts for ourselves or others or when someone’s kind to us, our brain produces amazing hormones - dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins - all of these give us a wonderful feeling of what scientists call ‘elevation’, or happiness 😄😊😄”

— feels good even thinking about this

---

---

The not-so-small small print

There is none! Simply return to this part of the website daily to get the next part of this program. No payment or subscription required. This is a resource we are sharing with all of you through the website and aiming to help our youngsters, in the various stages of their lives. This program contains information and practices that are aimed for two different age groups and we intend to mostly post the primary level information in the morning and the secondary level in the afternoon. Please leave us a comment and let us know how you are getting on or get in touch if you require additional support. If you want to be notified of new content, courses and free resources subscribe to our mailing list.

---