Cool to be kind
The story of the Star Talers, which inspired part of our debut collection, tells the tale of a young orphan girl, who gives away her belongings to people more in need than her.
Whilst she gave her possessions away in a selfless act of kindness, in the fable she was rewarded by golden coins falling from the sky, making her rich beyond her wildest dreams. This concept of kindness and karma, is integral to the all we are ethos, and it’s why we included a star in some of our designs, as a reminder to get our kindness on whenever we can.
Generation Kind
In recent years, it definitely feels like it’s become cool, rather than cruel, to be kind. Millennials contributed to over 30% of all charitable donations made in 2018, making them the most kind and generous generation by far. But it’s not only charitable giving where kindness is having an impact on our generation.
Employers are now recognising the importance of kindness on both mental health and workplace productivity, with it being spoken about in the same breath as diversity and inclusion.
Kindness is also killing it in the Amazon charts. Megababe Gina Martin’s incredibly popular book ‘Be the Change’ is a guideline for how to become an activist, standing up for those that need support and causes close to your heart. Another bestseller,’The Kindness Method’ by Sharoo Izadi details a weight loss journey built upon self love rather than self loathing.
You feel good when you do good
Whilst we may not all be rewarded with dollar signs falling from the sky, showing kindness to someone else can actually be beneficial for our own physical and mental health.
When we do something to help another person, our brain actually experiences lowkey physiological changes that are associated with good vibes. A cocktail of hormones including dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin (The Happiness Trifecta, if you like) are released when we do something nice for someone. Unlike momentary dopamine hits - such as the ones we get from likes on Instagram - these organic and sustainable rushes of positivity are the real thing - generally followed by a period of calm, and over time can improve our general wellbeing.
Acts of kindness also strengthen a sense of community and combat feelings of isolation. Humans are tribe animals, reaching out to help others satisfies our need for IRL connection and makes us all happier in the process!
If you can’t love yourself...
Being kind to others is great, but it’s important to remember that charity starts at home - and the same can be said for kindness. It’s easy to forget about showing a little love to the person in the mirror and this can impact our self worth as well as our relationships with other people. As Ru Paul says - If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love someone else?
Start a gorgeous self care routine and that can mean different things to different people - for some it’s a kale smoothie and 100 burpees, for others it’s a good book and a soak in a bath. You do you hun, but remember to always be kind to Number One - stop hating on yourself and start being encouraging and supportive in the same way you would be to a friend. Carve out some time each morning to give yourself some positive words of encouragement and each evening to express gratitude to yourself for slaying another day.
Small acts of kindness
Inspired to get your kindness on? Here are three small acts of kindness that you can do today.
Buying a stranger’s morning coffee - For the price of macchiato, you could brighten someone’s morning and give yourself some serious feel good vibes too. Imagine how much better you’d feel starting your day putting a smile on someone’s face rather than screaming at them to move down the train carriage?
Call a friend or family member who might be feeling lonely - In our crazy connected world, it’s easy to feel like no one gets lonely anymore - but that’s simply not true. An emoji is cute but it’s no replacement for the sweet sound of your voice. Call your grandparents, call your BFF that moved to another city or swap a ‘You ok hun?’ Whatsapp for a phone call with a friend that’s feeling down.
Give your clothes away to charity - If your wardrobe needs a clear out, you may be thinking of making some $$$ by selling them on Depop. But instead, why not get your kindness on and donate them to your local charity shop? You’ll not only be helping out a good cause, but someone looking for a bargain will be the human embodiment of the heart emoji when they come across your gorgeous items.