Random acts of kindness help
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, The Scotsman has launched an #actsofkindness campaign
Random acts of kindness are not only good for the recipients but also the person who carries them out. According to the Mental Health Foundation, acting altruistically helps to reduce stress, get rid of negative feelings and can even improve our physical health. The charity is so impressed by the beneficial effects that its website includes a ‘random act of kindness generator’.
It can be as simple as saying “good morning”, telling a joke or sending someone “a picture of a cute animal”. Or you can offer to pick up some groceries for your elderly neighbour, or make and send a care package to someone who needs it. All of these things will make someone else, and you, feel better about life.
And, amid the global crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak, such things really do matter.
As most now realise, this disease is serious and potentially deadly, so the authorities have no other choice but to take draconian measures – such as yesterday’s order for cafes, restaurants and pubs to close – to help reduce its spread.
But as people embrace ‘social distancing’, there are still things we can and should do to show we care for one another. For example, Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland Island novels which inspired the hit BBC series, has created a minilibrary outside her home in Whitley Bay, leaving some of her book collection in a box for neighbours to look through. It’s a simple idea but a good one, particularly with some libraries closing, as Cleeves points out.
If we aren’t self-isolating, there are many such acts we can do that will make a difference in this time of heightened stress and anxiety.
And even if we are forced to stay away, we can still call friends and family on the phone or over the internet, just so they can hear our voice and we can hear theirs. And don’t be too embarrassed or shy to call if you haven’t done for a while – that’s a feeling we are perhaps all a little bit too prone to having. Even if it is from a distance of two metres or 200 miles, human contact is important.
Yesterday we launched our #actsofkindness campaign because we want to highlight just some of the countless things people are doing to help others. In doing so, we hope to encourage more and the sort of community spirit that can help us get through what may turn out to be tough times ahead.