Unstructured Kindness: Tips from our friends at Cerner

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Mental Health

You do not have to be rigidly structured and organized about your kind actions to make the world a better place. Making an intentional effort to bring more goodness into the world through small acts of kindness can help more than you realize.


Here are few examples and benefits of unstructured kindness:

Random acts of kindness may increase hope. Carrying groceries for a neighbor, opening doors, or buying lunch for the needy are a few examples of kind actions you can take that benefit your community. Often, these random acts become reasons for people to have a restored faith in humanity. Each day presents a new opportunity to perform an act of kindness, so ask yourself what you are going to do today.

Small acts of kindness go a long way. An act of kindness doesn’t have to be elaborate. Small gestures such as smiling or laughing with a stranger remind us that there are safe and kind people in this world, and you can be one of them. The simple act of smiling goes a long way for yourself too. Each time you smile, you throw a little feel-good party in your brain. The act of smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and happiness.

Kindness is good for your health. Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem and empathy, and improve mood. It can also decrease blood pressure and cortisol, a hormone that directly impacts stress levels. People who are more kind and giving tend to be healthier and live longer.

Mental kindness is also important. We wear lenses that shape our interpretation of other people’s actions. We can choose to see these actions in a positive light or in a negative one. A kinder point of view centers on the belief that everyone is doing the best they can.Assuming the best about others, or approaching the situation with more understanding, allows you to show up as curious and kind.

It’s easy to make choices based on anxiety, depression, or anger. Intentionally choosing kindness helps us make sure that the world feels our presence in the very best of ways. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Additional Resources:

Watch this video to learn how to be kinder to yourself and learn coping skills.

Read personal stories about mental health awareness and struggles.

Online screening tools are available to help you understand your mental health and how to address it.

Thinking about volunteering?

Figuring out the best way to volunteer can seem daunting. With a world full of need, where do you start? Begin with these questions to decide if volunteering is right for you, or to help determine how you would like to volunteer.

1. Do I currently feel fulfilled?

2. Am I interested in volunteering?

3. What problem in the world or community bothers me the most?

4. What skills and abilities do I have that can help improve that problem?

5. What organization can I contact about helping with this problem?

6. Who would I ask to join me? (You are more likely to stick with it if you volunteer with

acquaintances, friends, or family.)



Sources: APA.org, MayoClinic.org, PsychologyToday.com

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