As World Kindness Day approaches on Thursday, Nov. 13, Sandra Bosacki is reminding people that being kind isn\u2019t just a nice gesture; it\u2019s a strategy for leading a happier, more fulfilled life.<\/p>\n
The Brock University Professor of Educational Studies says kindness is a strength, not a weakness, and that it provides emotional benefits, particularly among youth.<\/p>\n
Kindness can serve as an \u201cantidote\u201d to the increasingly disconnected, anxious and lonely state of youth today, especially in the digital age, says Bosacki, Director of Brock\u2019s Theory of Mind in Education (ToME) Lab.<\/p>\n
ToME researchers explore how having a kind-oriented mindset can help people to treat others with compassion, feel more in control of their emotions and feel happier.<\/p>\n
Bosacki says there are many ways in which practicing voluntary behaviours that are considerate and mindful of others can help to benefit one\u2019s mental health and can help people lead more satisfying lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cKindness can take many forms and does not need to cost anything,\u201d she says. \u201cIt can mean being considerate and mindful of others by making another person\u2019s day brighter by smiling or asking them how they are doing today; without being asked, helping out around the home with chores, helping a peer in school with their class work or in social situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bosacki adds that adolescents who engage in acts of kindness and hold kind self-beliefs report high levels of emotional well-being, less anxiety, and feelings of loneliness and fear. They also report increased compassion for themselves and others as they mature.<\/p>\n
This is due in part to the complex way adolescents\u2019 minds develop awareness of the world while processing their own mindsets and those of others.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who develop a kind mindset are more motivated to proactively help others and respect diversity in the future, demonstrating a deeper understanding of the shared human experience,\u201d Bosacki says.<\/p>\n
Kindness, she adds, breeds kindness. It begins with individuals and grows to see schools and communities promoting a culture of compassion.<\/p>\n
\u201cKindness is contagious,\u201d she says. \u201cYou can \u2018catch\u2019 it from your family and friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
While it is important to celebrate World Kindness Day, Bosacki says people should practice kindness every day towards all living beings, the environment and the natural world.<\/p>\n
\u201cThink of the ability to be kind and considerate and show care and compassion to yourself and others as a superpower and quick way to connect with others and nature around us,\u201d she says. \u201cWe are all human and deserve to belong, be cared for and respected and be treated with compassion irrespective of gender identity, culture and abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe kind and compassionate to all, and together, we can create a culture that encourages today\u2019s youth to be the \u2018Kind Generation.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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