World Kindness Day!

One of the most loveliest days is upon us – World kindness day! Although most of us don’t need a special day just to be kind, Saturday the 13th November gives us the opportunity to really reflect on this vital and unifying human principle. 

World Kindness Day, although not yet officially recognised by the United Nations, is celebrated by many countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia the U.A.E. and of course the UK.

Formed in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, its purpose is “to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us.” Its end goal is to encourage kindness so it can triumph over hatred.

As humans, we spend a lot of our time being unkind to ourselves and putting our energy into focusing on the negative things that affect us. The wonderful thing is that when we experience kindness it makes us feel like any negativity has been washed away and we feel good. We smile and it’s great for a while until the normality of negativity sets back in. 

World Kindness Day gives us a much-needed excuse to reflect on those moments and consider why the negative is the norm rather than the much more pleasant positive. As kindness spreads such joy, maybe we should be giving out kindness as a daily habit rather than as an overthought act? Because the truth is, we all need someone to be kind to us as it makes us feel like we matter. It makes us feel appreciated, cherished, valued and even loved. So given that we all want that, why wouldn’t we offer that to someone or everyone, all of the time, in the hope that others feel amazing?

How to be Kind

Here are some ways in which you could be kind today, tomorrow and every day:

• Make someone smile with a considered and appropriate compliment.
• Let someone merge before you in traffic and give them a smile or nod.
• Call a family member that you haven’t spoken to in a long time.
• Send an uplifting text to a friend.
• Ask someone how they are doing today.
• Hold open a door and/or let them go first.
• Help out with some household chores.
• Hug your loved ones a little longer and tighter.
• Give up your seat on crowded public transport.
• Smile at a stranger.
• Help someone in need or put yourself forward as a volunteer.

The Power of Kindness

The powerful thing about being kind to others is that it has a ripple effect. When you are kind to someone they are more inclined to be kind to another person. Even better, your act of kindness is reflected back at you offering all sorts of benefits you may not even know about!

The facts about kindness: 

• People who are regularly kind produce 23% less of the stress hormone cortisol. And because of the lower levels of stress, they age slower than average too.
• Being kind lowers blood pressure by releasing oxytocin. This hormone expands the blood vessels, naturally lowering blood pressure.
• Kindness triggers your happy hormone serotonin and lots of other fabulous endorphins. Some call this kindness side effect the helpers high.
• Being nice to someone has the ability to keep anxiety at bay. This is great if you feel nervous in a social situation as you can get relief from offering someone a simple smile or lending a helping hand.
• Acting kind is actually good for your heart in that it has a positive effect on the chemical balances within it.
• Remember the oxytocin that is released when you are kind to someone? This can help prevent inflammation that’s often associated with migraines, diabetes and chronic pain. This means that if you are continuously kind you could prevent illness.
• Offering kindness can distract you from any negativity in your own life and can actually be a lot of fun.

How New You are Celebrating

In the spirit of world kindness day, we’re making it our mission to bring joy to 12 random people on Saturday 13th November. And we haven’t just picked that number out of nowhere – it’s a nod to the fact that it’s New You’s 12th birthday this month! 

The joy we’re giving will be in the form of £20 New You credit. It will automatically be applied to the account of each person who is selected.

When it comes down to it, being kind only takes two things. The first is the active decision to be kind and the second is what that kind of act will be. And the possibilities for that are endless.

The more World Kindness Day is highlighted and celebrated the more likely it will be recognised by the UN and become official,  just like Human Rights Day, the International Day of Peace and World Health Day.

But that shouldn’t be the only reason why we should celebrate it. It should be celebrated in the pursuit of a better life, one where kindness is the go-to action, the natural reaction and ultimately the norm rather than the exception.

Let us know what special things you’re doing to spread kindness over on our Secret Slimmer’s Facebook group.