"Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: Always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary?”
Barrie, J.M., The little white bird.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has caused a lot of stress and fear to a large part of our community, while it has also triggered feelings of loneliness and alienation through the necessity to keep physical distance from each other. It is not an exaggeration to say that apart from being at risk of facing an economic recession, we are also at risk of experiencing a "social recession", i.e. "a collapse in social contact that is particularly hard on the populations most vulnerable to isolation and loneliness". Under these circumstances, it is necessary to face the challenge to protect our mental health by coping with our anxiety (and related negative emotions), while also finding a balance between increased physical and decreased social distance.
A powerful way to accomplish that is through kindness.
The Science of Kindness
Us humans, as social beings, are evolutionary wired to help each other in order to ensure survival (both physical and emotional). It seems that during this time of darkness, there are countless moments of light around us. This crisis has brought out the positive aspects of humanity and people appear to engage in small (or bigger) acts of kindness. They come together to applaud healthcare workers in order to express their gratitude, they set up support groups for those in need, they check in on elderly or sick neighbors, they find alternative ways to spend time with their friends and family in order to stay connected.
You can get inspired about more acts of kindness to help people impacted by COVID-19 here.
I encourage you to read more about the value of kindness and watch films that highlight the importance of kindness in becoming better versions of ourselves and strengthening human connection and communities.
Films
Amélie (2001)
I am Sam (2001)
Kindness is contagious (2014)
Le Havre (2011)
Pay if forward (2000)
The blind side (2009)
The fundamentals of caring (2016)
The lives of others (2006)
Two days, one night (2014)
Wonder (2017)
Books
Children's books
Picture books
Doerrfeld, C. (2018), The Rabbit Listened.
Donaldson, J. (2005), The Smartest Giant in Town.
Gillen, L. (2012), Good People Everywhere.
Ludwig, D. (2013), The Invisible Boy.
McGhee, H.M. (2019), Listen.
Pearson, E. (2017), Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed.
Chapter books
Applegate, K. (2017), Wishtree.
Blume, J. (2014), Blubber.
Draper, S.M. (2010), Out of my Mind.
Estes, E. (1945, 2004), The Hundred Dresses.
Mullaly Hunt, L. (2017), Fish in a Tree.
Park, L.S. (2010), A long Walk to Water.
Adult books
Keltner, D. (2009), Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life.
Newark, A. (2017), Chicken Soup for the Soul: Random Acts of Kindness: 101 Stories of Compassion and Paying it Forward.
Pearson, F., (2014), Secret kindness agents.
Post, S., Neimark, J. (2008), Why Good Things Happen to Good People: How to Live a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life by the Simple Act of Giving.
Russell, B. (2017), The Little Book of Kindness: Everyday Actions to Change your Life and the World Around you.
Watson, C. (2018), The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story.
Find more book suggestions here!
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