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The Kindness Box

Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Wouldn’t it be great if you could walk into a store and buy lifelong happiness? The idea’s not as fanciful as it sounds—as long as whatever you buy is meant for someone else.

Two recent studies suggest that giving to others makes us happy, even happier than spending on ourselves. What’s more, our kindness might create a virtuous cycle that promotes lasting happiness and altruism.

For the full article -

Kindness Makes You Happy… and Happiness Makes You Kind
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
In college, Hannah Brencher corresponded with her family via handwritten letters—not texting, Facebook, email, or phones. She found comfort in writing on paper.

Later, as a college graduate in New York City, she continued writing letters—this time to strangers—to curb the loneliness she felt in the city. She left them in cafes and libraries, and even at the UN.

When she posted a promise on the Internet to write a handwritten letter to anyone who needed one, her inbox flooded with stories from so many lonely and struggling people that she decided to start an organization, The World Needs More Love Letters, to help strangers connect and support one another in an increasingly fragmented, electronic world.

"I began writing letters on the train to individuals who seemed like they, too, could use a boost," Brencher writes. "In the span of nine months, I wrote and mailed over 400 love letters to people in need around the globe. And the process healed me. It absolutely healed me."

For the full article -

Writing Love Letters to Hundreds of Strangers “Absolutely Healed Me”
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
73a4a01d-8e1d-4163-a2b1-cf5e007c2f09_1.d6b415f9227983c87274fa6bece54457.jpeg
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Loads of stories at this site - for example -

About a year back, I got off the train and was waiting for my ride to come pick me up. Suddenly I felt the inspiration to write a poem. I looked around and found a pen, but no paper. There was not even a scrap of paper in site. Bummer!

So I sat there for a moment in a predicament, alone with the stunted inspiration. Then looked around a little more. It turned out that in my wallet I had a dollar bill. Looking at it a little more thoroughly, it became clear that there was very little writing surface on the dollar. But I could write something...

So I took my pen and wrote something like this:

"This is a very special dollar - given to you with love. Do not keep it. Do not spend it. Pass it on. Give it to someone else with love, and watch it spread."

I then decorated the bill with hearts, trying to fill it with as many good vibes as I possibly could.

Sitting near me was a woman who was also waiting for a ride. She seemed a bit anxious. I walked up to her and said "This is for you."

Surprised to be given a dollar, she took a second look and read it. All of a sudden her mood shifted from anxious to warm and she gave me a big hug and thanked me.

Small Acts That Change the World | KindSpring.org

Plus their menus ...

Enjoy!
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
We're using World Kindness Day (13th November) to launch Kindness Projects in schools across the country, to help school teachers make their classrooms kinder places to be. Encouraging kind behaviour in schools can make a big difference and is so much more than just a ‘nice to have’. Evidence shows that promoting kindness among young people directly reduces disruptive behaviour and helps to increase social and emotional wellbeing. Promoting kindness has also been shown to help reduce bullying in schools. Bullying obviously has a serious impact on children’s wellbeing and bullies are often suffering themselves too. Running a Kindness Project provides a positive and inclusive way forward.

http://www.actionforhappiness.org/media/671201/kindness_project.pdf

:)
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
For eight hours straight, we walked around NYC and smiled at every person we came across. Could we make them smile in return? Could we bring a moment of happiness to a stranger’s day, just with a grin? It’s been said that smiling is contagious, and we wanted to test this theory out IRL. I’ll be honest: I had my doubts that this would do anything. But at worst, everyone would just think we were creepy.

Why is Mona Lisa one of the most famous paintings of all time? Sure, Leonardo waxed poetic oil on that ****, but really it’s because of her unique and mysterious smile. Smiling and laughing, what weird things. Everyone has heard the quote, “Laughter is the best medicine,” but if you turn on the news, you know there’s not much to laugh about in the world these days.

ac61ee6f082ce24f9275dcb3d639d7de.jpg


https://12kindsofkindness.com/the-steps/wear-a-smile/tim/
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
From the 30 seconds site -

Q: How are kindness and empathy different?

A: Empathy is standing in another person’s shoes, being in the feelings with them. Kindness is an expression of caring in words, thoughts or actions. Both skills are super important, they complement each other. I love to teach children about the FAB 4 – humility, respect, empathy and kindness.

How Kindness Can Change Everything With Psychologist Lynne Kenney! | Blog | 30Seconds Mom
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Kindness makes the world a better place. And that’s because it’s simply contagious. Think about it: You witness a random act of kindness, and you can’t help but extend the kindness continuum by paying it forward yourself. This makes acts of kindness not just beneficial for the recipient, but for everyone in your community.

Kindness is also good for you, the giver. When you display kindness, you increase dopamine to the brain, leaving you feeling happier and more energized. So whether you want to perk up a loved one, coworker, acquaintance, total stranger, or yourself, you’ll accomplish it all in one random act of goodness.

In case you’re short on ideas, here are 99 ways you can practice kindness. Most cost little-to-no time or money, and will make a lasting impact.

99 Simple Ways to Show Kindness

:)
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Kind behavior comes more naturally when we’re feeling a sense of compassion and connection with others. This first set of practices focuses on cultivating these feelings.

The Feeling Connected practice involves thinking about a time when you felt a strong connection to another person—through a meaningful conversation, say, or by experiencing a great loss or success or historic event together—and describing that experience in writing. A 2011 study led by researcher Louisa Pavey in the United Kingdom found that participants who completed this exercise reported increases in feelings of concern for others and stronger intentions to carry out a number of generous acts over the next six weeks, such as giving money to charity and helping a stranger in need.

For the full article -

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ar...ies_for_bringing_more_kindness_into_your_life

Cheers!
 
Geoff-Allen

Geoff-Allen

Resident megalomaniac
Great thinkers from Martin Luther King Jr. to the Dalai Lama to my daughter, Addison, all have had something to say about the importance of helping others. The civil-rights leader stated, "Life's most persistent and nagging question is 'What are you doing for others?'" The soft-spoken spiritual leader called doing good deeds "our prime purpose." And my 12-year-old put it this way: "Helping feels good because it's nice for the other person and for you."

Smart words. And as it turns out, kids are actually hardwired to be considerate and kind. "The desire to help is innate," says David Schonfeld, M.D., director of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. And their sense of doing good develops as they grow. "At first, children like to help others because it helps them get what they want. Next, they do so because they get praise. Finally, they begin to anticipate the needs of others, and it becomes intrinsically rewarding to do nice things for people in their lives."

14 Little Ways to Encourage Kindness

All the best!
 
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