I just saw an insta post and it read, 'If you focus on the good, the good just gets better.' I totally relate to this! Yet how often do we get pulled into focusing on the negative and what's not working?
There is a lot of negative (yet important) news at the moment, so we wanted to jump into your inbox with some positive news and something to help lift the mood at home.
Sometimes our girls start focusing on what's not working. They tell on each other and it creates a bit of a negative cycle. When I see they are heading that way, one thing I do is use a Kindness Tracker. Isa likes to draw and decorate ours but I thought you might appreciate a template, so you can download yours below.
Using it is simple.
I ask the girls to look for the small kind things their sisters (or others) are doing and come and tell me. If they come and share it, they get a tick on the board as well as the child who did the kind deed.
It changes the conversations we have. It lifts the mood and the house is so much more peaceful and happy! If we're going to be inside (a lot), I think this is really important.
We reward the girls in the following ways:
- Acknowledge hearing about the kind act by listening attentively.
- Ask some questions about what happened and how that made them feel.
- Sharing with the kind do-er what we heard/observed.
- A family treat at the end of the week to celebrate.
What we see...
Kindness breeds kindness. The girls start looking for kind things to do and the cycle changes to a positive one. Really, the kindness tracking is it's own reward - it doesn't require a celebration, but who doesn't love a little celebration.
What we know...
Repeated acts of kindness increases our life satisfaction. Witnessing acts of kindness increases the production of Oxytocin. Oxytocin increases our self-esteem and optimism. It is also great for our heart health and blood pressure. Both being kind and witnessing kindness, is great for our well-being.
Want to try it?