Random Acts of Kindness Challenge needs your stories!

When it comes to kindness, it’s a win-win situation. The person doing the act of kindness, the receiver of the act of kindness, and the person witnessing this act of kindness each get a shot of potent and healthy good feelings.

Within our bodies, acts of kindness large and small create elevated levels of dopamine, and the “love hormone” oxytocin in all participants and according to Dr. David Hamilton,

“On a biochemical level, it is believed that the good feeling we get is due to elevated levels of the brain’s natural versions of morphine and heroin, which we know as endogenous opioids. They cause elevated levels of dopamine in the brain and so we get a natural high, often referred to as ‘Helper’s High’.”

If you’re interested in the science of oxytocin, he also explains -

“Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide in blood vessels, which dilates (expands) the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure and therefore oxytocin is known as a ‘cardioprotective’ hormone because it protects the heart (by lowering blood pressure).”

Furthermore, kindness keeps us younger due to the resulting decreased levels of inflammation and Free Radicals in our bloodstream.

Pretty amazing and I don’t know about you, but I always like my levels of dopamine and oxytocin elevated!

Plus, let’s acknowledge that this elevation of endorphins or increase in “feel good” hormones is happening to everyone involved in a random act of kindness process. This includes the recipient of the kindness, the person who is being kind and all the people who observe or learn about the act of kindness, and it lasts well after the deed is done.

At the very least, it is positive information that we can share. Everyone can benefit, even if they feel that they have never been a recipient of an act of kindness or been the person who decides to act kindly without expecting anything in return for their actions.

Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti!
And why not, it's free, easy and has a high return on investment.

So, in the interest of spreading around some of that “feel-good” juice, @rebeccaryan and I are putting out a call for stories about random acts of kindness so that all of us here in Steemitland can hear more good life stories and experience the benefits.

For this random acts of kindness challenge, the idea is to write up an experience that:

• tells about an act of kindness that you were a part of,
• or saw,
• or, even heard of.

It doesn’t have to be involved or extravagant. Just catch kindness/compassion in the works and tell us about what you witnessed, what you did, how it made you feel and/or what the results of the kind actions were, if you know the outcome. Just share the love with all of us.

Maybe you saw something 10 minutes ago, or maybe you have a good story from 3 years ago, or maybe it’s a really good story of a random act of kindness that a friend told to you, all of it is welcome as long as it will make us all feel good.

Once you’ve posted, either or both @rebeccaryan and I will resteem your post and will also up-vote it. The up-vote percentage we use will be based on the story telling, the effort put in to you post and the quality of the writing and most of all, how it makes us feel.

Would you like to participate?

1. In 200 words or less write an account of a random act of kindness you’ve witnessed or been a part of.
2. The words “Acts of Kindness Challenge” should be included in your title
3. At the bottom of your post use the following 4 hashtags, 5th is your own
   #actsofkindnesschallenge #kindness-trail #story #life
4. Optional: DM @rebeccaryan and @natureofbeing in steemitchat to alert us about your post. We’ll find it via hashtags, but with an alert our response will be faster and it’s less likely that we’ll miss your post.

Thanks for spreading the love and telling your stories, we look forward to reading them and feeling good, along with you!