Kindness Matters: Resolve to be kind this new year

By What Matters to Hatters Coalition on January 16, 2026.

Happy New Year! As many of us think about resolutions for the year ahead, why not choose one that benefits both yourself and those around you? Focusing on kindness – to others and to yourself – is a simple but powerful place to start.

Acts of kindness have the potential to make the world a happier place. And, let’s face it, we could all use a little more kindness in our daily lives.

Kindness means choosing to do something that helps others or yourself, motivated by genuine warm feelings. Kindness, or doing good, often means putting other people’s needs before our own – but it doesn’t have to take much time or cost any money. Everyday acts, such as giving up your seat on the bus or offering to make a colleague a cup of tea, can make a real difference.

Evidence shows that helping others can significantly benefit our own mental health and wellbeing. Helping others can reduce stress as well as improve mood, self-esteem and happiness. In fact, studies found that perpetually kind people have 23% less cortisol (the stress hormone) and age slower than the average population. Simply put, the more you do for others, the more you do for yourself!

Kindness also helps strengthen our support networks and encourages us to be more active. This, in turn, can improve our self-esteem and promote changes in the brain that are linked with happiness.

Helping others is one of the key ways we build and maintain social connections. Volunteering or lending a hand can reduce feelings of isolation, foster a sense of belonging, and open the door to new friendships, all while keeping us engaged with our community. Research measuring hormones and brain activity shows that acts of kindness bring genuine pleasure – evidence that human beings are hard-wired to give.

The more we give, the happier we tend to feel. Yet, generosity should never come at the expense of self-care. Don’t overdo it – whatever you can manage today is enough. If life feels challenging right now, try to notice and celebrate the small wins. Some days, simply getting up and washing your hair is an achievement, and that’s worth acknowledging.

Acts of kindness can make the world a happier place for everyone and may encourage others to repeat the good deeds they’ve experienced themselves. This means that one good deed can inspire others to pass it on, creating a domino effect that brightens the day of dozens of people and contributes to a more positive, caring community.

The What Matters to Hatters Coalition is working to foster hope, resiliency, and connection in our community. As part of this, What Matters to Hatters hosts monthly Sidewalk Talk events where we listen as equals to anyone about anything. We are not fixing because we don’t see people as broken. We listen with heart. And we always have referrals ready to share fabulous services in the community if someone needs mental health resources. Your presence can make a world of difference – visit our website for a list of upcoming events!

To learn more about the What Matters to Hatters Coalition, follow us on Facebook or Twitter and visit our website at http://www.whatmatterstohatters.com. Details of an upcoming kindness challenge will be shared soon in celebration of National Random Acts of Kindness Day on February 17, 2026.

Join us and join a movement fostering genuine human connection and kindness!

The Kindness Matters column is put together by members of the What Matters to Hatters Coalition

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