Recently, we shared true stories of courageous compassion and opened up about what it’s really like working in an aged care and disability agency. In Maral’s account, she shared how it was the “little things” that had the greatest impact on a client’s quality of life, and she emphasized how each day presents a different story and a new opportunity to play a supportive role through small acts of kindness.
What are small acts of kindness?
Kindness is compassion in action, and a small act of kindness is an act of kindness that is hyper-attuned to the moment. In this way, small acts of kindness are relatable, personal, and anything but “small.”
Why are small acts of kindness important?
Small acts of kindness are important because the little things matter, especially to someone in need. In the same way seemingly insignificant details of life get taken for granted, it is the seemingly insignificant small acts of kindness that end up meaning the most.
Benefits of kindness
Research shows that kindness can have a profound impact on mental health and well-being. Studies indicate that acts of kindness improves emotional well-being, reduces stress, counteracts feelings of depression, boosts the immune system, and benefits overall physical health – for both the giver and the receiver.
Aged care and disability services communities certainly welcome countless opportunities for acts of kindness to manifest, but it does not and should not stop there. The lessons we learn from the stories we experience in the world of aged care and disability services apply to the rest of the world, too. We would all benefit from receiving and giving a little more kindness.
How to do a small act of kindness
An act of kindness is precipitated by an attentive spirit, genuine curiosity, and a heart of compassion. Here are five steps to enacting simple acts of kindness.
Step 1 – Be attentive.
Look around you and observe the hopes, needs, and struggles of others.
Step 2 – Care.
Exercise compassion and empathy and imagine what it might be like to be in someone else’s situation.
Step 3 – Be curious.
If you don’t know how to help someone, that’s ok. You can ask. Something Maral emphasized in her story was how powerful listening is. We really appreciated hearing about the support worker who took the time to get curious and learn about her client’s cultural background, and then learned how to cook the client’s cultural favourite foods to help make them feel more at home. That is an excellent example of kind curiosity!
Step 4 – Have a generous spirit and an open mind.
The mind is an expert problem solver and if you look for possible solutions to a need, your brain will come up with many possibilities for ways to meaningfully contribute to a situation.
Step 5 – Have courage and follow through.
Extending a helping hand to someone, going the extra mile, and taking the time to care and act on that care requires courage, but the benefits of small acts of kindness are SO worth it!
Conclusion
Humans are social creatures, and we thrive in community with others. That is part of what makes communities like ours so special. Care Services Australia represents a very tender-hearted community, and in this community, the little things are always big things. It is the simplest acts of kindness that can make all the difference.
2 Comments
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What a nice article. It keeps me reading more and more!