Kindess Stories

610 days ago

We would like to invite staff to share their own experiences and stories of kindness, whether it be a personal experience or something that you have witnessed or have heard about through others. We have set up a Padlet where you can anonymously submit your experience of kindness.

There are dozens of ways to improve your health. You can eat nutritious food, support a healthy weight, take supplements, and exercise regularly. Another way to influence your health is to be kind! Kindness is not something that demands hard work or huge amounts of time. It’s something we can all strive to achieve every day.

Being kind can have a ripple effect on your whole life and has been proven to have lasting health benefits and can:

Ease anxiety - Experiencing anxiety is extremely common and can range from mild nervousness to severe panic.  Practice a little kindness to yourself as well as others and ease your anxiety.

Smile – it’s contagious! - When we smile at someone, they tend to smile back at us, and we end up mirroring each other’s smiles.  Smiling not only makes us feel good but it is thought that smiling boosts the immune system because you are more relaxed.

Strengthen your relationships - Carrying out an act of kindness, such as buying someone a coffee or doing something for them, strengthens bonds with friends and family.  This is linked to improved mood and helps to alleviate loneliness. 

Reduce your blood pressure - The “feel good” hormone oxytocin, flows through our body and brain when we perform acts of kindness.  Oxytocin helps to reduce blood pressure and can help prevent heart damage.  So, get out there and be kind to somebody!

Showing kindness to others does not have to mean doing something big or life-changing. Often, it’s the smallest acts of kindness that can have the most impact such as:

  • A moment of support in a time of need
  • a quiet word of encouragement
  • Let someone go in front of you in a queue

Further information on the principles of kindness can be seen here. 

These kindness stories will be shared on the intranet in the coming weeks. 

Additional Health & Wellbeing resources and information can be found on our Health & Wellbeing pages.

Article submitted by: Health and Wellbeing Team