5.3 How to use kindness with your family to enhance wellbeing
Here are a series of activities you could do with your family, your friends and your local community.
Have a random act of kindness day
Choose a day with your family and decide to each carry out as many random acts of kindness as possible in the home. These can be as small or large as you want. Each family member can choose appropriate activities depending on age, e.g., smile at a family member, tidy up without being asked etc.
At the end of the day, come together and share your acts of kindness with each other. Consider having prizes for the most carried out, most thoughtful, etc.
Bring kindness to your community
This activity is similar to the random acts of kindness day, but this time carry out your acts in your wider community. Think of how you can be kind to a friend or say hello to a neighbour that you normally just pass by.
You may want to volunteer your time to a needy cause or give some money to a charity. Perhaps you could offer to walk a dog for someone who looks like they have a busy life or cook an extra portion of food for an elderly neighbour.
Be aware that this is a special day where you are being kinder than usual, so try not to choose acts that might feel overwhelming or that you don’t have the time or energy to carry out. Do what you can and afterwards consider how it made you feel.
Make a kindness jar
A fun activity for younger children is to create a kindness jar. Each time you notice that your child does something kind, write it down on a scrap of paper, fold it up and put it in a recycled jar (another example of kindness for the planet). If you have any loose change, you can add this to the jar as well. Keep adding to the jar until it is full.
Have an emptying ceremony and read out and reminisce together about the kind things that your child did. Allow them to keep the loose change as a reward for all the kindness they have carried out.
Watch films together with themes of love and kindness
Choose a film with strong themes of kindness and love to watch with your family. When the film has finished talk together about where you saw kindness in the film and how it made you feel.
Wonder (2017) |
The BFG (2016) |
Finding Dory (2016) |
Paddington (2015) |
Shrek (2001) |
E.T. (1982) |
Celebrate somebody else’s success
Make a conscious effort to celebrate when things go well for your family members and friends.
Ask them to discuss how they are feeling and how the experience has been for them and express your pride over their success.
This can be challenging at times, so try to be authentic in your response. By learning to respond to their good news in an excited way, it is possible to improve the wellbeing of your relationships.
Be kind to yourself
This can be a particularly challenging area for many people, especially if raising a family, when you may feel that your needs come at the bottom of a very long list. Self-compassion means to just look at yourself and all your perfectly normal imperfections with kindness.
Try to find some activities that you enjoy doing that offer you to the chance to care for yourself. Perhaps try a free mediation class online, have a nourishing meal, prioritise sleep and take time for some gentle exercise.
You might want to consider writing a kind letter to yourself when you are feeling in a positive frame of mind, that you can refer back to when you are feeling low and remind yourself that you deserve kindness as much as anyone else.
5.2 Benefits of kindness