Random Acts of Kindness Week

Please see below for a blog post about Random Acts of Kindness from our very own CIPA Informals Hon Sec, Lindsay Pike.

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This week (13^th-19^th February 2022) is “Random Acts of Kindness Week”, with Random Acts of Kindness Day specifically on Thursday (17^th February). The event is hosted by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, a small nonprofit investing resources in making kindness the norm.

Random Acts of Kindness are exactly how they sound – doing something spontaneously for another person (or yourself!) that is kind.

Apparently there are scientifically proven benefits of being kind: witnessing such acts produces serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins, and can increase self-esteem and optimism. Studies have also shown that people who are altruistic and help others are happier and calmer, with reduced levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

This makes sense to me. I quite often hugely overestimate how long I need to park my car for, and often end up with at least an hour or so left on it when I come to leave. If no one is around to give it to directly, I stick it back in the machine for the next person to find (hopefully before it expires!). Sometimes I get to see someone be surprised by their luck finding it, and it always makes me smile.

There are suggested activities for each day of the week, for example: Monday 14^th suggests giving a gift card for a local tea/coffee shop to a friend to treat themselves with; Tuesday 15^th encourages acting like a kid again (I’m eyeing up the mini trampolines in our local playground); you could write a letter or a card to an unexpecting friend or family member on Wednesday 16; and on Friday 18^th give someone who brings joy to your life a call or a text.

The website has multiple other suggestions if you find yourself needing more inspiration. Here are some of my personal favourites: writing a positive comment on a social media post, website or blog article (it could even be one of ours!), gifting a book, putting your neighbour’s bins out or taking them in after doing yours, or going out of your way to hold a door for someone or to thank someone who has helped you.

Remember to include yourself in this too! You could do an enjoyable type of exercise, block off some quiet time to read a book or have a long bath, or treat yourself to a favourite drink or meal/snack.

There are also suggestions for being kind to the world – walking or using public transport instead of driving, hanging your laundry instead of using the tumble dryer, or using reusable instead of single use plastic or disposable cup or bottle.

The world can always enjoy more kindness, so try to have fun this week being extra nice to yourself and others. Let us know how you get on in the comments or on our LinkedIn/Twitter accounts – you can use the hashtags #MakeKindnessTheNorm, #RandomActsofKindnessDay and #RAKDay to share your experiences more widely too.