Let's Talk Kindness

Let's talk Kindness. We all know what it is, but do we know how to apply it, how to USE it? At first thought, you may be thinking "Absolutely!". Think harder.

Life is a roller coaster and we have lots of life skills, like kindness, that help us deal with the ups and downs. During the good times kindness is easy to use, like a spoon smoothly flowing through the liquid of a nice cup of tea. It's easy! Try to use that same spoon, with the same amount of effort, when stirring dough! Not so easy anymore. What we need to know is that with a little mindfulness and and some extra effort, we can accomplish the task at hand, we can accomplish kindness. And the more we do it, the more natural it will become.

In life, we will experience easy days and difficult days, but we need to know how to use the life skill of kindness during the difficult days. Why? Because that is when it might not come so natural and that is when it is most critical.

Think of the last time someone hurt your feelings or made you mad? It's ok....it happens, it's normal, we are HUMAN BEINGS. How did you react? Don't worry, I've been there and I won't judge. What we need to understand is that it is at these times that we need the practice, the mindfulness, the understanding. So start practicing kindness as a habit, and be mindful on the difficult days.

Tips to get you started:

1 - Set a kindness reminder on your phone. For example, "This is your kindness reminder, remember it's not always easy!" or "Practice an act of kindness today.".

2 - Spend 5 minutes per day in a kindness journal. Some questions you may want to ask yourself while journaling might be: "How will I use kindness today?", "Will it be challenging?" or "How will I be mindful to accomplish kindness even during a challenge?".

3 - Put a sticky note on your bathroom mirror or the fridge that says something like: "I CAN be kind today, no matter what comes my way", "Be kind" or "Kindness can change the world!". It certainly can change the world around you!

I challenge you to get started today, share this with your family, make it part of your homeschool wellness plan! I would LOVE to hear how you apply acts of kindness to your homeschool and your life. Just remember to not be hard on yourself when it doesn't come easy! We are human, it isn't always easy. The more we practice, the more natural it becomes.