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We begin the month of June celebrating Pentecost –the ‘birthday of the church’, when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be with his followers, as a friend and guide
and to give them courage and strength.
The Holy Spirit brings
gifts that, when we put
them into use in our
lives, help us make
good decisions and
positively influence our
behaviours.
This term we explore how using these gifts
will bear fruit in our lives, beginning with
‘LOVE & KINDNESS’
What springs to
mind when you think of ‘love &
kindness’?
When have you been on the receiving end of someone else’s kindness?
How does it make you feel?How long do you think the impact of that kindness lasts for?
Discuss these ideas of ‘love & kindness’with friends or
Family.
Do you think acts of kindness that you have received have been a waste or have they led to other acts of kindness?
How many opportunities for kindness do you think you can find this week?
Watch this clip and think about how an act of kindness can be a catalyst for more.
Lord, Open my eyes to opportunities for kindness all around me and help me seize those chances whenever I can, to always be kinder than is necessary.
Amen
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This week’s theme is love & kindness.
Love can provide the impetus with
which we offer acts of kindness to
others. It is important too that we treat ourselves with love& kindness. This
week our wellbeing resource will focus on random acts of kindness and
how giving, receiving and witnessing kindness can impact on our physical,
emotional and mental wellbeing
Love & Kindness
Carm
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g So what are random acts of kindness?
The term random act of
kindness is generally
attributed to Anne Herbert who wrote the phrase
“practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty” on a restaurant placemat in
Sausalito, California
An random act
of kindness is
doing something for someone else
without expecting anything in return
A random act
of kindness is
doing something nice or meaningful
for someone without them
asking
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gWhether giving, receiving or witnessing random acts of kindness. Here
are some of the benefits they can have on our wellbeing
Kindness can increase our feelings of
love
Kindness can increase levels of oxytocin,
known as the ‘love’ or ‘heart’ hormone, which can help to lower blood
pressure
Kindness can increase self-
esteem & optimism
Kindness can increase
feelings of calm & self-worth
Kindness can reduce low
mood & depression
Kindness can increase serotonin
levels, the ‘feel good’ chemical
Kindness can increase
endorphins, the ‘brain’s natural
pain killer’
Kindness can lower cortisol,
the ‘stress’ hormone
Carm
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gHere are some examples of random acts of kindness
Send a positive
message to 3 people today
Give the gift of a smile to someone
Next time you are in a group chat, try
to make sure everyone feels
included
Use a sticky note to leave a kind
message on your fridge to yourself or others in your
household
Use your phone to set a few ‘kindness
reminders’ each day. When the alarm goes off do something kind for someone you know
Send a gratitude
message to someone
Practice self-kindness. Do
something you love to do each day
Contact Vikki Moran about joining her pen pal group,
sending messages to our local care homes
Pay someone a
compliment
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“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking
creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love” -Lao Tzu
“Love is that condition in which the happiness of
another person is essential to your own” – Robert A.
Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an
honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to
turn a life around” – Leo Buscaglia“A kind word,
thought or action creates infinite
ripples of caring, consideration and
peace” – Amy Leigh Mercree
“Kindness is contagious, pass it
on” – Christine Szymanski
Make kindness an integral part of what you think, say and do. And, I assure you of
this. It will give you a life filled with inner peace, love,
joy and happiness – John Magee, Kindness Matters
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If you have found this resource of value you may also be interested in loving-kindness meditation. A practice which can help to develop our sense of self-love,
empathy and kindness. You can find out more about loving-kindnessmeditation by following the links below
https://positivepsychology.com/loving-kindness-meditation/
https://www.headspace.com/meditation/compassion
Want to find out more?
Tricycle Magazine article about loving-kindness written by Thich Nhat Nanhhttps://tricycle.org/magazine/cultivating-compassion/
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Information about the science & psychology of kindness, how random acts of kindness can make a difference and how to put
kindness into practice
https://positivepsychology.com/random-acts-kindness/
Loads of information and ideas for random acts of kindness from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-kindness-blog/2943-50-kindness-ideas-for-random-
acts-of-kindness-day
TED Talk about acts of kindness by Mark KellyHow one act of kindness a day can
change your life: Mark Kelly: TEDx Tallaght
TED talk about random acts of kindness by Bothale TshetloMy 38 random acts of kindness: Bothale Tshetlo at TEDx Soweto
2013
