Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day. What a fantastic celebration, honouring kindness displayed to others.
This time of year is an interesting one, although the past week has been filled with sun and warmth, the winter season has been slipping in with the turning of the calendar. Moods are shifting, energy is going inward and many have felt a change within themselves in recent days as we prepare for the colder weather and change in season. November seems like the perfect month to remind us all of doing random acts of kindness.
In Dr. Wayne W, Dyer’s book, “The Power of Intention” he explains that when we show kindness to another, the neurotransmitter, serotonin is released. This is that feel good hormone that makes our mood feel lifted, our appetite in check and produces an overall sense of calm. So, intuitively, we all know this to be true. When someone does something for us, it lifts us up. But what is so interesting is that serotonin levels are also elevated in the one performing the kindness and…anyone else who witnessed it! This is powerful. I’m sure you can all remember a time when you watched a stranger do something kind for another, possibly helping them across a street, running to hand them something that was dropped or just saying a kind thing. Kindness spreads like wildfire and has ripple effects that go beyond our understanding.
So I challenge you to sharing more Random Acts of Kindness with this world. See what goes on for the individual who is receiving and check in yourself, to see how you feel thereafter. Your little serotonin receptors will be smiling!