The Practice
Once upon a time on a cross-country motorcycle trip I passed a sign outside a church that read, “Don’t think less of yourself, think of yourself less.” That quote is the inspiration for this edition of the toolkit.
Research has shown that the act of doing something kind for someone else has tremendous mental health benefits. In addition to reducing symptoms commonly associated with stress, anxiety, and depression, acts of kindness also help to strengthen community connections and even improve one’s sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy.
As we head into the Thanksgiving break, what better way to express gratitude than by weaving an act of kindness into our daily routine.
The Language
For younger students:
Isn’t it amazing how good you feel after you do something nice for someone? It could be as small as holding the door for someone, giving them a compliment, offering to clean up after a meal, or donating time or resources to people who might need a little support. One of the best ways to start practicing acts of kindness is by paying attention to the people around you. Are there things that you can do that would be helpful or just boost someone’s mood? Let’s see if you can make a plan to do one act of kindness today, and then at dinner, we can report on how it went. How did it make the other person feel? How did it make you feel?
For older students:
This is a busy time of year. Between academics, sports, friends, and holiday events, it can be easy to start focusing on ourselves and what we need and not thinking of others. And yet, acts of kindness have actually been found to improve stress, strengthen communities, and raise self-esteem. So making the time to do some simple acts of kindness is truly a win-win—you benefit, and so do the people you showed kindness to. Your acts don’t have to be huge grand gestures—just holding the door open for someone a few steps behind you is a kind thing to do! But try to bring intention to both planning some acts of kindness and then really noticing how you feel afterward. Let’s all plan three acts of kindness we’ll do over the next day and we’ll check back in tomorrow.
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