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Random Acts of Kindness Day: How You Can Spread Kindness

Did you know today is Random Acts of Kindness Day? Here are 10 ways you can make an impact today, and everyday.

  1. Pay for a strangers coffee
  2. Compliment someone’s outfit
  3. Thank your teacher for all they do
  4. Write positive words on sticky notes and leave them around town
  5. Smile at someone in passing
  6. Give up your seat for someone
  7. Hold the door open for someone
  8. Donate clothes you no longer want
  9. Leave a basket of tennis balls at the dog park
  10. Write letters to soldiers or elderly people
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Why Teaching Kindness Matters

In light of World Kindness Day, I want talk about why being kind to yourself, others and the world is important. We celebrate World Kindness Day on November 13. The purpose of celebrating kindness on this day is to show others that kindness will bring us together. We have to teach kindness to each other. Teaching kindness to each other is how we’ll make the world a better place.

Teaching kindness starts with us. We cannot teach others how to be kind if we don’t know how to be kind to ourselves first. Honestly, it can be really difficult to be kind to ourselves, especially when we’re struggling. When we are struggling is when we need kindness the most. Self-kindness allows us to heal from things that we never knew we needed to heal from. Often, I still struggle with being kind to myself. When I’m feeling low, I tend to criticize every thing that I do and make negative comments towards myself which usually doesn’t help.

It took me a really long time but eventually, I learned to teach myself kindness. Being kind to myself has changed a lot for me. It not only has taught me not to be so hard on myself but it’s also taught me how to be a little kinder to others. Now that’s not to say that I was mean to other people but you get what I’m saying. A few kinds words to someone, even if it’s yourself, can make make the world a little better. Think about it like this, if kind words and thoughtfulness can help plants grow, imagine what it could do for you, or someone else.

Kindness should not stop with you. It should be something that everyone can give and experience. We should teach others how to be kind too. I feel like a lot of people don’t understand the impact of kindness itself. I am always sure to teach kindness to my students because sometimes I think that they’re the ones who need it the most. Sometimes people are unkind to them because they have disabilities and that’s not cool. They deserve to know that they are just as loved as everyone else, even if they’re a little different. I know in my heart that showing them kindness will teach them to be kind to others who might be feeling that way.

Showing others kindness is the best way to teach them. When we show kindness to others it shows them that there is still a little bit of good left in the world. Kindness gives us the chance to connect positively with others and create lasting, meaningful relationships. When people are kind we tend to feel more connected and willing to interact with them. Kindness is contagious! Our small acts of kindness might make someone want to pass on that same kindness and that’s great. This is why it’s so important to teach kindness and be kind.

Lastly, being kind to everyone out in the world is absolutely important. There are so many people out there who have not experienced any form of kindness and they certainly need it. You may not know what someoneone is going through and your words can make or break them. Whether it’s a simple hello or an hour long conversation, what you say and how you say it might change someoene’s life. Who knows, you might even save them if that’s the point they’re at. Kind words have no cost and are worth so much more than you know.

Teaching kindness matters because without it we might not survive. People have to know that there is still good in the world. Much like hatred, kindness can be taught and should be. There have been days where all I really needed was kind words I never got. If someoene had taken the time to be kind to me when I was struggling, maybe I wouldn’t have suffered as much. I’ll never really know. But that’s why I choose to be kind when I can because I know how much it hurts to need kind words and not receive them. I will always try to be kind.

How will you teach others kindness?

You can read about World Kindness Day here!

And if you have a chance please read What Would You Do To Make The World A Better Place? here on TurningPointCT.org to learn how being kind to someone might just make a difference! 🙂

Practicing Self-Love On A Bad Day

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Tough situations and long, exhausting days can leave you feeling like you are undeserving of self-love, which is why it’s so important to practice self-love intentionally. Especially on your bad days.

Here are some signs that you might need to be practicing a little more self-love:

  • Yo’u’ve had a tough day and you’re feeling unworthy, unlovable, and less than good enough
  • Work has been overwhelming and you feel unappreciated and overworked
  • Social media has left you feeling jealous and sad
  • You’ve been arguing with a loved one and you feel unheard and lonely

If any of that sounds eerily familiar to you, then it sounds like you might need to be practicing a little more self-love.

I suppose we should start off by talking about what self-love is. I feel as though a lot of people don’t really know what that is and that’s okay. We’re going to talk about it together!

Self-love is allowing yourself kindness, understanding, and compassion. It’s all about valuing your own wants and needs as a priority. Self-love is knowing your worth. When you genuinely love yourself, you accept your strengths and weaknesses without giving yourself a hard time about it. You love yourself for all that you are and encourage growth instead.

I’ll admit, practicing self-love isn’t easy but it’s necessary. I had no idea how important it was until I hit what felt like rock bottom. We often feel like we are undeserving of self-love but that’s when we need it the most. That’s why it’s so important to practice self-love, especially on your bad days.

When you have a bad day, it can be really difficult to show yourself the self-love you need. You may find yourself bottling up your emotions or even beating yourself up over mistakes you might have made. Feeling this way can lead to negative emotions and negative language towards yourself, which isn’t great. Our bad days are when we need self-love the most.

Practicing self-love allows you to be more compassionate towards yourself when you’re struggling. It also gives you the opportunity to learn and grow as a person, rather than giving yourself a hard time. Self-love can help you move on in a more sincere and positive way.

Read Psychology Today’s The Power of Self-Love and Self-Compassion here.

Bonus self-care treat! Learn how to make a Positivity Jar with our Project Coordinator, Kailey! 🙂

National Poetry Month

In Celebration of National Poetry Month, I am happy to share this poem. It was written with two people in mind. Typically, two lovers but in this context, its seeks to describe the relationship between the poet and the reader.

 

-Kevin

Mental Health First Aid

Know The Signs

When someone’s having a heart attack, we know to perform CPR. When someone’s choking we know to use the Heimlich Maneuver. When someone cuts themselves, we know to dress, elevate and apply compression to the wound. Even if we aren’t fully versed in these methods, we know that each of these situations is an emergency and that if we can’t take these steps to intervene, we need to find someone who can – and fast.

But what about when someone’s having a panic attack? What do we do if someone is having a psychotic episode and has become delusional? What if someone is about to harm themselves or another? What do we do in these cases?

That’s where Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) comes in. As with conventional First Aid, Mental Health First Aid is a specific process to follow and skills learned to apply to a crisis situation, only in this case it’s for a mental health crisis rather than a physical health crisis. And as can be seen from some of the examples above, it can be equally as important and can be just as much a life-saving technique.

Mental Health First Aid offers courses, just like conventional First Aid, where you can get trained how to help someone who is having a mental health emergency. I actually had never heard of MHFA until last Fall when my partner got trained but I’ve been wanting to get trained myself ever since. Just this week, Public Radio International (PRI) did a story on how New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray has made mental health a primary focus of hers, expressing her support of mental health first aid training.

To give a general overview, there are 5 Steps (summarized in the acronym ALGEE):

1. Assess for risk of suicide or harm– it is essential to check to see if the person is showing signs of suicidal thoughts or behaviors, non-suicidal self-injury or other harm. If someone is in immediate danger, seek emergency medical attention and if suicidal, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org, which is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. They’re free and available 24/7.

2. Listen nonjudgmentally – the ability to listen and have a meaningful conversation is an important skill to have in a mental health emergency. It is essential the person feel respected, accepted and understood. Body language also plays an important role.

3. Give reassurance and information – a mental health crisis can be brought on by an underlying mental illness. Learn how to identify symptoms of mental illness and learn about resources in your area which may be able to provide treatment and support to the person in need.

4. Encourage appropriate professional help – there is an array of professionals trained specifically on how to help someone who is struggling emotionally or living with a mental illness. Whether a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker or other mental health professional, they can offer solutions through counseling, psychotherapy, medication or other methods.

5. Encourage self-help and other support strategies – there are a multitude of ways someone can foster mental health, including exercise, relaxation and meditation, peer support, prayer and more.

I was so excited to learn about Mental Health First Aid. Developed by Betty Kitchener, a nurse specializing in health education, and Anthony Jorm, a mental health literacy professor, MHFA helps to take knowledge which was formerly relegated to the shrink’s office and spreads it among non-professionals so that anyone can learn how to appropriately respond to a mental health crisis until professional help is available. We’ve seen how this saves lives when it comes to heart attacks, strokes, and other physical emergencies, so I am very hopeful about the prospects as it applies to mental health. And given that, in the United States, one in five people experience mental illness in a given year, it is to everyone’s benefit that more and more people have this knowledge. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that not doing so would be “crazy”.