The 13th of November is a day I have celebrated every year of my life as it’s my birthday (Happy Birthday me🥳!), but it’s also known as World Kindness Day, where every year we’re encouraged to be aware of and be kind to those around us as small acts of kindness really do make a difference to people and our planet.  Now I have to admit that until a year or two ago, I had never heard of World Kindness Day, even though it’s been going for some time, but this year I want to celebrate my birthday by celebrating this special day and hopefully encouraging everyone to try and be just a little bit kinder to everyone, and ourselves.

What is World Kindness Day?

Started in 1998, World Kindness Day is celebrated every year on the 13th November as part of the World Kindness Movement.  The day is celebrated in many countries and is used to highlight and encourage good deeds within our community and to help create a kinder and more compassionate world.  The focus of the day is on the positive power of being kind and how we can all come together, regardless of our differences, and be kind to one another.

What can you do for World Kindness Day?

Simple and small acts of kindness are encouraged on the day.  Although some decide to do grand gestures to celebrate the event, it’s really the small everyday things that we can all do, which can really help make a difference to somebody’s day.  Things like:

  • Smiling at someone
  • Give someone a compliment
  • Helping someone to carry something or holding open a door for them
  • Having a chat with someone
  • Giving someone a long hug
  • Giving someone a small gift
  • Making someone a cup of tea/coffee

There are lots of small things you can do for both the people you know in your life, and those you don’t who you just happen to meet on the street.  We can all take the time to do something kind for someone, and doing so not only helps make somebody’s day brighter, but it can also make you feel good about being kind to them too.

Being kind to self

Though World Kindness Day is about being kind to others in the community, I believe that we should also be kind to ourselves.  If, like me, you tend to beat yourself up about things you’ve done wrong or get annoyed at yourself for not being more productive, having more time for others, or thinking clearer, then you know how danaging it can be to our mental health.  Being kind to ourselves is just as important as being kind to others, even more so as we can’t possibly be in the right mindset to help others if we are constantly hating on ourselves.

So this World Kindness Day, while taking the time to be kind to others, think about something nice you can do for yourself, such as:

  • Looking in the mirror and giving yourself a compliment
  • Smiling at your reflection
  • Congratulating yourself on something you’ve achieved, no matter how small
  • Treating yourself to a bubble bath
  • Forgiving yourself for something you’ve done

These are just some examples but just do anything that you know is being kind to yourself. ❤

My own birthday kindness

For my own self, I’m going to be kind to myself this year and forgive myself for all of the negative thoughts I’ve had over my recent health problems.  I often suffer from tiredness, fatigue and keep faling asleep when I want to be writing blog posts or reading, among other things, and while recently I’ve alwasy been internally scolding myself for not doing more with my free time, this year, today, I’m going to be kind to myself and forgive myself for not doing as much as I expect myself to, because what I am doing is more than enough and I should be proud of what I achieve every day…I might also splash out a bit on myself on shopping too (it is my birthday afterall and my Grandma’s not around anymore to give me her gift so…!😅)😊

Last words

Whatever you plan to do today, just try to observe your own thoughts and actions a little bit, be mindful of what’s happening around you (or in your head) and do something kind for someone and yourself today.  It doens’t have to be anything big, but even the smallest of gestures to show some compassion to another (or yourself) will go a long way to making you and others feel so much better.  And given the way our world has been recently and how some of us have been so afraid to be near each other, I think today is the perfect day to show others that we care.  Give someone a smile, or better yet give someone a hug, hugs are good for both our mental and physical wellbeing! 🙂 ❤

Are you doing anything special for World Kindness Day?  What small acts of kindness would you do for yourself?  Let me know what you think in the comments below 🙂

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