Thursday 11-11-2021 - 13:52

 

By Sabaah Ahmed

 

Hello fellow students and Happy World Kindness Day (this weekend)!

What is World Kindness Day?

World Kindness Day is a day celebrated by all far and wide in order to promote the importance of being kind yourself, each other and the entire world. This November MMU is also supporting male mental health and I urge you to keep this in mind when considering acts of kindness. Here are some easy ways to give small acts of kindness every day:

 

 

Give all the compliments

 

We all love receiving compliments so why not give a few? A single “I love your style!” not only makes someone feel good but enhances someone’s happiness and self-image by tenfold. Compliments give production of dopamine in the brain – they’re like tiny presents for your mental health. I personally think, the cheesier the better!

 

Do nice gestures

 

When you’re with someone you care about, it's not just the comfortable silences that make you feel connected. Planning activities with friends whether big or small can massively boost your mood. From cooking your friend their lunch/ dinner to going into an arcade with rigged claw machines, there’s acts of kindness in everything.

 

Donate to charity

 

Showing kindness isn’t just for people that you know, there’s other ways in which you could show appreciation to the world. Donating to charity organisations is not only emotionally fulfilling but also actively contributing to making the world a better place. You also don’t have to always donate money. You could donate a shirt you no longer wear or give away extra supplies to those in need.

 

Self-care packages

 

Now we all love a bit of care packages for ourselves so why not get a bag or two for your guy mates? On the Wednesday and Thursday of World Kindness Day, The Union are coming to the Business School and Science/Engineering School to hand out self-care bags to guys (or to friends who can give it to guys) so bring a few of your guys over to boost their mental health, or personally deliver them a bag...I know I will! There will also be some giveaways at this month’s Feelgood Friday at The Union (Fri 19 Nov) – so don’t miss out.

 

Volunteer with the Union

 

The Union is a MMU student’s safe space and is definitely the place to go when you want to spread kindness. The Union website has over 100 volunteering opportunities for you to take part in such as ‘Care and Share’, opportunities to help the homeless and disabled community, and even events for our non-human friends! Feel free to pop on over to the Union website for more information or come in and say hello to our volunteering team – they will be outside the yellow wall with information on Tuesday 16 November.

 

As much as World Kindness Day is a national event to promote the importance of kindness on this specific day, the acts of kindness don’t stop there. If we really think about it, a daily act of kindness is a kindness day for anyone and everyone. So, don’t delay, be kind today!

And a little comment of kindness from your confidently introverted host... “If you were a flower, you’d be a damnnn-delion!”