I know things are still hard. Do me a favor. Close your eyes. Take a slow deep breath in. As you breathe in, say to yourself “I got this.” Breathe out. On your second deep, slow breath, say to yourself, “Things are going to get better.” On your last breath in, “It’s ok to make mistakes. I’m always learning.”
We’re in this together. When the quarantine is lifted and we all go back to “normal life” (whatever that looks like moving forward), we need to remember that we got through it together.
Connection to each other is what helps us survive as a species. We require connection and the tacit understanding that helping each other is the only way we will continue to survive and thrive. Connection comes in many forms, but the most important, in my opinion, is kindness. The simplest act of kindness can forever change the course of someone’s life. My life is a prime example of the truth in that statement.
We are six months into a global pandemic and all of us have had our emotions tested in ways we never could have imagined. We’ve been taught that our survival instinct is to take care of ourselves and our immediate family and friends when there is a threat. Otherwise, it’s “every man for himself.” We have certainly seen that play out to a degree, but I would argue that we have seen the most wonderful part of our humanity rise to the surface, over and above our instinct to survive individually. We have seen strangers and long-estranged friends and family come together to take care of each other. We have seen neighbors go out of their way to ensure everyone has what they need. We have watched our front line workers do some of their most difficult work all while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy at home. THESE are true tests of who we are as human beings and we have proven ourselves to be good.
At The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation we have been working hard to keep people connected and kind during challenging times. Our mission is to #MakeKindnessTheNorm which means all of us need to be intentional and tuned in to opportunities to show kindness (and receive it!). Everything we offer is free of charge and all of the Kindness in the Classroom K-8 educational materials are evidence-based.
If you’re a parent struggling to find ways to keep your kids feeling productive and happy, check out our kindness ideas, coloring pages, and the kindness challenge (scroll down a little bit to see the downloadable book)! There are also social distancing kindness resources on the homepage (about halfway down).
If you’re at work and you’re looking for ways to create a kinder workplace, check out 7 Steps to Creating a Kinder Workplace and our workplace calendar with daily ideas!
There is an endless supply of kindness in the world. Tap into it, create connections, and remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can. That’s all we can ever do during challenging times.