World Kindness Day 2024

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind”. Many people will have heard this quote before – likely in a social media post or on a greetings card. Have you ever stopped to think about what it means though? What is kindness? Why is it important? And how do you practice it, particularly in today’s challenging and often frantic world?

I encourage you to take a minute today, on World Kindness Day, to stop and reflect on it.

What does kindness mean to you?

“What is kindness?” may seem like a silly question but bear with me. It is defined as the quality of being friendly, generous and consideratebut what does it mean to you? The answer to that question has infinite possibilities as we all have our unique take on it. To me, kindness in its simplest form is a smile from a stranger. That is enough to brighten my day. To you, it may be making a colleague a cup of tea, sending a message to a loved one, holding the door open for someone or giving a compliment.

Just as we have our own preferred love language (words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, gifts or physical touch), we also have our own interpretation of kindness – both giving and receiving it. Identifying this makes it much easier to start practicing it.

Why should we be kind?

Put simply, being kind is good for others and good for you.

Showing kindness activates the reward system of the brain and performing acts of kindness has been linked to dopamine and serotonin release. Essentially, you get that ‘warm glow’ feeling similar to when you eat something nice. Being kind improves wellbeing, reduces loneliness, fosters friendships and has a ripple effect in society.

Showing kindness to yourself is something I believe we are poor at as healthcare professionals. How many of us mentioned in a medical school interview that the reason we want to do medicine is to help others? It can therefore feel like going against the grain to prioritise self-kindness but as the current state of the NHS workforce shows us, you cannot effectively help others without looking after yourself first. There are strong links between burnout and lack of self-kindness or compassion. We often see that the root cause of complaints, seriousincidents and workplace conflict is poor communication and this often involves a lack of kindness to patients or colleagues. Kindness to others and to ourselves is a fundamental part of our job.

How can I show kindness?

5 simple ways you can perform an act of kindness today:

1 – Send a thoughtful text to a friend or loved one

2 – Smile or give a compliment to a stranger

3 – Donate to charity or give blood if you are able

4 – Treat yourself or prioritise some time for self-care

5 – Do a task that is on someone else’s To Do list (do the washing up, walk the dog etc)

Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

The theme for World Kindness Day 2024 is Building a Kinder Tomorrow. Starting today, we must lead by example, make a commitment to compassion and help to lift each other up so that we can create a kinder tomorrow. Asking a colleague “You Okay, Doc?” is a great place to start. Happy World Kindness Day!

Charlotte Haresnape

YOD Ambassador & Senior Registar In Obstetrics And Gynaecology

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