2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30
You may not know it, but November 13 is International Kindness Day every year.
This celebration, originating in Japan, aims to encourage demonstrations of benevolent gestures, large and small. A great initiative to share with as many people as possible!
The year 2020 will certainly have been trying for everyone and at all levels. All the more reason to celebrate International Kindness Day in a big way and send some positivism out into the universe, to end the year on a slightly happier note. After all, it often takes very little to brighten someone's day, so why not all join in and chase the November gloom together?
There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Smiling three times every day makes medicine unnecessary. While this is of course not entirely accurate, the fact remains that numerous studies have, over the years, demonstrated the concrete benefits of kindness. Thus, being generous would promote happiness and reduce stress by stimulating serotonin, the hormone of good humor. This has also been shown in children, who also feel happier when they act kindly and share their toys, for example. Even more, to benice might even extend lifespan, increase learning abilities and memory performance. Like what the advantages are numerous, as much for the one who receives as for the one who gives!
So we thought we'd give you some ideas for simple things to do today, but also every other day of the year:
- Say "Thank you" to the cashier at the grocery store, the pharmacy clerk, the Videotron customer service representative (even if you call to complain), the bus driver, in short to all the people who allow you to accomplish your daily tasks.
- Are you arriving at the same time as another person to park or line up at Canadian Tire? Rather than trying at all costs to arrive first, give up your seat and smile!
- Give a colleague a compliment for no reason, just to brighten up their day.
- Leave a positive comment on the Facebook page of a restaurant or business you like. We often tend to express our dissatisfaction, but more rarely our satisfaction.
- Clean out your closet and donate your clothes to charity.
- Call your uncle, aunt, grandfather or grandmother who lives alone and check in on them.
- Have a virtual happy hour with your loved ones so everyone can see each other and have a good time together.
- Be courteous tosteering wheel.
- Paid for a parking space and leaving early? Leave your receipt on the terminal for the next person!
- Order an extra coffee from Tim and give it to a homeless person on your way.
As you can see, there are plenty of ideas for showing a little kindness without breaking your head too much. Encourage your children to do the same and to do kind things at school and with their friends. You'll see, once you start, you can't stop!
