Student Wellbeing 

Empathy and Kindness

Empathy is the ability to put ourselves in others' shoes and feel and see what they do. We practise empathy by being kind and compassionate towards other people.

Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than as fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g., eating Brussels sprouts)!

Research shows that practising empathy, such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion, and makes our behaviour more social and community-based. 

View Part 3 of the series here - Empathy https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-hugh/

Here’s an activity to practise empathy and kindness:

Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work, your pet who deserves an extra treat, or a family member who would love a phone call or text message. 

Make a plan for who you will show kindness to and what you will do.  

If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.

Follow up with each other in a few days, to ask how it went! 

Sources: Psychology Today, UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science

For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Sally Lentini

The Australian Parenting website - https://raisingchildren.net.au/ 

Raising children can often feel overwhelming. All parents need the right information and support at different stages of their parenting journey. The raisingchildren.net.au website is a helpful tool for parents to access. 

They provide accessible, reliable, and expert-reviewed information designed to support your family every step of the way with accessible, trustworthy information intended to help you grow and prosper together. 

The website is funded by the Australian Government and reviewed by experts. It has current, up-to-date resources and guidance for your family. Its easy-to-find information, articles, links, resources, and videos cater to all stages of parenting and raising children. 

Visit raisingchildren.net.au to explore a world of information crafted to support families from your first steps into parenthood to your child’s first steps into adulthood.

Vira