"How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time" - Morgan Freeman. The definition of kindness is possessing the qualities of being friendly, generous and considerate. There is a saying, "It costs nothing to be kind." It sounds simple, but sometimes a smile or 'hello' is enough to cheer someone's mood.
That’s why local businesses, Sunshine Coast Council and Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service have joined forces, launching a new campaign promoting kindness.
The campaign, It’s Cool to be Kind, is designed to support local businesses and industry doing it tough in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Workers across many sectors, including hospitality, retail, transport, medical and administration are experiencing an increase in customer anger and abuse. And it’s not cool.
Some acts of kindness could be:
- Reach out and check on friends and family.
- Give a parent a break by offering to babysit.
- Give a shout out to a local business by leaving a positive review after a good experience.
- Donate good condition clothes to charity stores or towels and blankets to animal shelters.
- Send a thank-you email to a colleague.
- Volunteer your time to a worthy cause.
- Help a neighbour by mowing the lawns or picking up groceries.
Small acts of kindness can have a tremendous impact on both the person being kind and the receiver. Studies have found that kindness, compassion and giving are associated with:
- improved happiness
- good mental health
- a stronger immune system
- reduced anxiety, stress and depression
- improved relationships
- a longer life.
Libraries have a large range of titles promoting kindness. Drop into your local Sunshine Coast Libraries location to find some inspiration or download one of the popular eBooks or Audiobooks from the extensive eLibrary.
The science of kindness | Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
eBooks
Libraries love these eBooks:
- Fierce Self-compassion: How women can harness kindness to speak up, claim their power and thrive by Kristin Neff
- The Kindness Revolution: How we can restore hope, rebuild trust and inspire optimism by Hugh Mackay
- The Kindness of Birds by Merlinda Bobis
- Humankind: A hopeful history by Rutger Bregman
- Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11 by Kevin Tuerff.
To get started download the cloudLibrary and Libby apps. Select Sunshine Coast Libraries and enter your member number and passwords.
eAudiobooks
Try out these eAudiobooks:
- How to be Hopeful: Your toolkit to rediscover hope and help create a kinder world by Bernadette Russell
- Channel Kindness: Stories of kindness and community by Lady Gaga
- Radical Kindness: The life-changing power of giving and receiving by Angela Santomero
- The Kindness Pact: 8 promises to make you feel good about who you are and the life you live by Domonique Bertolucci
- Duty of Care: One doctor’s story of the Covid-19 crisis by Dr Dominic Pimenta
- The Hero Next Door by various authors.
To get started, download the BorrowBox and Libby apps, select Sunshine Coast Libraries and enter your member number and password.
DVDs
DVD titles that inspire kindness:
Podcasts
Listen on the go to these kindness podcasts:
- In conversation with Alex Sloan of ANU and Hugh Mackay, The Kindness Revolution
- The Kindness Project with Chris and Charlotte Daems
- Kindness Think Tank with Cole Baker Bagwell
- Understanding Kindness with Dani (Spotify podcasts).
Search for these free podcast titles from your preferred podcast provider.
On the web
More ways to express kindness:
- Hey Sunshine Coast, you gotta be cool to be kind | Sunshine Coast Council
- Kind is cool campaign toolkit | Sunshine Coast Council
- Food Bank | Sunshine Coast Community Services
- Ways you can help | Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge (SCARs)
- Ozharvest Sunshine Coast
- Community volunteers | Sunshine Coast Council
- Beach clean up program | Sunshine Coast Council
- How you can help others | DV Connect
- World Kindness Australia.
‘Give a bit’: How kindness conquers during the Covid-19 pandemic | The Age & Sydney Morning Herald
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