Enrichment · Wellbeing

Notice the kindness
in your week.

Kind acts are easy to forget by the next day, including the ones other people do for you. Write each one down: what happened, who it involved, your mood before and after, and a line on how it felt. Over a few weeks the journal shows how often kindness runs through your days, what it does to your mood, and who you still mean to thank.

Add a kind actWhat you get

Kind acts

The worked example is made up: five kind acts over two weeks, at school and at home. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
An entry per kind act: the date, what happened, whether you did it, received it or saw it, who it involved, planned or in the moment, mood before and after (1 to 5), how it felt, whether you have said thank you, and an optional next act. Counts acts done, received and noticed, the average mood change after acts you did and who shows up most; flags a kindness not yet thanked, an act that left you feeling worse and an entry with no reflection.
Who it is for
Students in grades 6 to 12 and college; teachers and families running a kindness week alongside them.
Format
Browser journal with a saved entry per kind act. Prints one entry, every entry in a table or a blank page; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Write down one kind act a day, or a few each week: ones you did, received or saw.
  2. Rate your mood just before and just after, honestly.
  3. Add a line on how it felt and what you noticed in the other person.
  4. If someone was kind to you, mark whether you have thanked them yet.
  5. Read back over the week and pick a next act.

Add a kind act

What kindness does

Three ways kindness shows up in a weekDo itSmall and specific beatsbig and rare.Vary the acts so theystay fresh.Notice how you feelafter.Receive itLet it land instead ofbrushing it off.Say thank you, evenlate.Notice who keeps showingup for you.Notice itKindness between otherpeople counts too.Writing it down helpsyou see more of it.Watch how it changes aroom.Three ways kindness shows up in a weekDo itSmall and specific beats big and rare.Vary the acts so they stay fresh.Notice how you feel after.Receive itLet it land instead of brushing it off.Say thank you, even late.Notice who keeps showing up for you.Notice itKindness between other people counts too.Writing it down helps you see more of it.Watch how it changes a room.
Writing kindness down is part of the practice. In one study, people who simply counted their own kind acts for a week reported feeling happier afterwards.

Counting it helps

In a study of university students in Japan, those who kept count of their own kind acts for a week reported higher happiness afterwards than a comparison group. Paying attention was enough to change how the week felt.

It changes a classroom

In a study of 9 to 11 year olds, students asked to do three kind acts a week for four weeks gained more peer acceptance than students asked to track places they visited. Kindness tends to come back.

Kind to yourself as well

A kind act that leaves you drained is worth a second look. Helping in a smaller way, or saying no, is not unkind. If you feel low most days, talk with someone you trust, such as a parent, a teacher or your school counselor.

Sources

  1. Otake, K., Shimai, S., Tanaka-Matsumi, J., Otsui, K., and Fredrickson, B. L. (2006). Happy people become happier through kindness: a counting kindnesses intervention. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7(3), 361 to 375.
  2. Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., Oberle, E., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., and Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Kindness counts: prompting prosocial behavior in preadolescents boosts peer acceptance and well-being. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e51380.
  3. Curry, O. S., et al. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 320 to 329.
  4. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org): call or text 988, chat online, 24 hours a day.

The worked example is made up. This journal is for reflection; it is not counseling or a measure of anything. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.