“Every day simple acts of kindness can contribute to boosting your mood, reducing stress and possibly alleviating symptoms of depression or anxiety,” according to the American Psychiatric Association.
This was one of the many quotes Samford CARES posted to their Instagram before beginning their February event known as “Kindness Week.” Although the event took place from Feb. 19-23, Wellness Coordinator Katelyn Hayes hopes that this attitude of kindness will continue after the month is over.
“Kindness Week is our initiative this month from Samford Cares, and it’s all about promoting kindness and positivity on campus, just asking people to have a positive attitude and share that with others,” Hayes said.
Each day, different organizations partnered with the Samford CARES team for their kindness stations on Ben Brown. The focuses of these days were gratitude, service, being kind to yourself, hospitality and encouragement.
One major focus of “Kindness Week” was how kindness can impact not only our mental health, but also our physical health.
“There’s actually a lot of physiological and bodily support that kindness provides,” Hayes said. “It helps combat loneliness, stress hormones and helps lower all of your cortisol levels and increase your dopamine, so it really is a great thing physically for you, and it also just really helps the community be better.”
Groups such as Grace Dance Ministry, Samford Gives Back and Alpha Omicron Pi ran these stations. Lydia Joy Glover, director of Grace Dance Ministry, shared how special it was to promote kindness through service.
“I thought it was important to remind Samford students to be kind and inclusive to all people, and one of the ways to do that is service,” Glover said.
Tabling events included writing thank you notes and handing out kindness giveaway gifts. The week also brought a Hospitality Fair, where different organizations and areas of campus showed how they work to make Samford feel like home.
On Wednesday, Feb. 21, the Wellness team hosted a workshop called “When Helping Hurts,” based on the book of the same title. Dr. Rachel Hagues led the conversation surrounding ethical service.
The message of the event was that kindness makes us focus less on ourselves, which helps with mental health long-term.
“Kindness is so great because it helps to give someone a wider outlook and a wider perspective,” Hayes said. “Because sometimes, when we just focus on our own perspective and our own self, we can feel really lonely, and we can start feeling really down. Kindness is so important because it reminds you to look at others and look to serve.”
The Samford CARES team hopes that kindness continues to be promoted, even after the event ends.
Samford CARES offers many wellness resources, such as their food pantry and mental health counseling services. Their offices can be found in Health and Wellness Services, and their website is samford.edu/departments/student-support/.
Arts & Life Editor
