To want to know what good you do?

[fightbackorriseabove]

Life has been tough recently, and I find myself watching YouTube vids, podcasts, the news, and getting more and more down.

I feel as if we're losing ourselves as a race. Genocides, wars, the far-right, climate change, racism, misogyny, cost of living... it goes on and on.

I'd rather not discuss politics. I seem to have got myself in a permanent loop of rage-watching...

I need a break.

I want to find a bit of joy. There must be more kindness out there that we can use to counter all the shit.

So... what good do you do? What acts of kindness are out there? Even if it's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, what's happy - or neutral - in your life? What's made you laugh? Give me some positive stories! What are you pleased about? What are you looking forward to? hat have you achieved - big or small?

• I help cats. I help rehabilitate stray cats and find them new homes.

• I listen to my friends. I think/hope I'm a good friend.

• I take care of my daughter well and have at least one great big belly laugh a day with her. She is a joy. And very kind. Today, she told me she'd read "thousands of pages" at school, so I could "just forget" the library book. She also saw me having a lemsip-type thing and told me not to do drugs. And every day, she thinks it's a miracle that I can "feel" in her belly what she had for lunch at school. She doesn't seem to have worked out that I read it on the notice board next to the school gate.

• I have a very loving sister. We try to look out for each other.

• I have piles of unread books. I like to pretend I'm a big reader, but in reality, I WAS a big reader. But it's nice to have the pile.

Over to you.

The Samaritan training is amazing! 9 months including mock-ups of real calls, feedback on said calls, compassionate teaching, some scenarios you'd never imagine, robust boundaries around your own self-care, insight you'd never thought you'd need or apply, support and lastly, huge camaraderie among your cohort and fellow samaritans.
I did it for 5 years and it was an unforgettable experience. This to @Sconcing too.

Wow, this is all really inspirational stuff. I think I can be quite grumpy at times. I feel down. Inconsiderate people annoy me. I'm more likely to talk about the bad than the good. Maybe because I've had a lot on my plate over the last few years. But I'm sure that we FEEL better ourselves when we try to be kinder. This thread has really helped me today. I'm going to try to lighten my mood, smile at people more, talk to people more. I am definitely guilty of making sweeping statements and saying the entire world is going to shit. I forget that most of us are plodding along and doing our best to be decent. Not causing harm has to be the main point in life, hasn't it? If we all do that, it'll be good enough.

Day to day I'm a total waste of space and the world wouldn't miss me if I wasn't here.
However every 4 months I give blood so I guess that's 'good'.

Small amounts of good - I’m on the board of directors for 2 industry groups. Both unpaid as are all the directors. Both do quite a lot of good.
Ive built and am trying to commercialize an AI tool that will change the face of organizational development which will do quite a lot of good for pretty much every employee. As a side benefit it also helps identify employees at risk.

I recycle
I'm a vegan
I mainly buy second-hand clothes/cars/anything I can get second hand
I don't fly
I keep my garden as natural as I can without it becoming overgrown for bugs/birds/wildlife
I have a dog I rescued from a backstreet breeder as a tiny pup-was a dam reject and would've most definitely died had I not intervened. I take care of her, we go on lots of walks/runs (although she's getting old now so not as many) and to the pub where she's showered with attention.
I donate to Animal Aid and The Soi dog foundation.
I try to help people wherever I can-although less so now as I have been burned too many times!

I’ve had to retire as a foster carer due to my physical health atm. But dh and I are taking in teens/young adults through the ymca. It’s a scheme called open door. We have supported four through college and then into their own places. Providing a safe home, advice and guidance. It’s been very very rewarding. We had a new young adult arrive recently . They’ve started at college and are doing well. Have settled and it’s nice to see them grabbing the opportunities and being excited for their futures.

I’m very active politically-which I think is doing good, but probably isn’t what you mean! I’m a school governor, I volunteer for the local food bank. I’m comfortably off financially, so I donate as much and as often as I can. I am always willing to give lifts and to baby sit (I live rurally, and people are often screwed when public transport is buggered.

Do what I can above and beyond my job as a Dr (like coming in 40min early for weeks to facetime a lady with covid so in isolation her baby on special care, staying hours late to open second theatres to expedite emergency surgery etc)
18 yrs volunteering with various children's charities/scouts etc
About to become a foster carer predominantly for respite care for severely disabled kids initially to give their parents a break
Give tons of food to local homeless charity/feed any I see

Given up trying to blood donate as keep getting rejected, am an organ donor and facilitated many surgeries

I work at being healthy to set a good example for my DC and also do I have the energy to support them -SEN teens.

Donate blood

Put together a hamper for a local family for Christmas.

vRegularly visit my lonely elderly neighbours

call my dad every day to check on him and have a chat

Volunteer with a local grass roots charity that helps homeless people with their needs and helps people moving into homes furnish them.

Organise regular catch ups with my friends.

What a lovely thread, thanks op. I have also mainly stopped following the news - just depresses me. I feel bad I'm no longer that up to date, but it's definitely better for my mental health

• I try to do no harm!
• work in mental health, so enjoy seeing some direct benefit (obviously I'm paid, so not altruistic, but like to think the NHS gets their moneys worth).
• help out at a charity with fundraising events
• always help insects, spiders, worms etc in a pickle. It's so lovely to see a stuck bee fly again, move a drying out worm etc
• litter pick locally with my dc. Will hopefully shape them to care for the environment too.
• Various charity subscriptions and always donate to charity shops
• try to help people with favours and offers of help when needed.

Research shows helping others gives us a boost so also good from a selfish point of view!

I am a governor at a primary school. I was a governor there before but moved to a secondary school, but when that ended, the fools asked me back.
I volunteer for the local branch of a national charity and have done for 20 years. It’s mostly remote admin/facebook moderation.
I am a member of a team of (elected) volunteers that represents the views of members to my local county cricket club. It’s really interesting (but stressful in the current mess that is English county cricket).

I am the mum that will always give lifts home if I can for DC and their friends. One of them drives now but they know if they’re out drinking and need to get home, I am there for them and if they are with a friend who says they’ll walk, I’ll always drop them off rather than them walk alone.

I volunteer with a youth group for 4-6 year olds. I enjoy doing things with them that they wouldn't usually do. Prior to that I volunteered with a different youth group for ten years with 7-14 year olds.

I am on the school PTA

I use my manners, a simple holding the door or apogising for something goes a long way.

I check in on my elderly neighbours who are still living independently at nearly 90

I am a moderator on a Facebook group for cancer survivors.

I am first aid trained and have been known to jump in on a few occasions in public when everyone stands there waving their arms about and not actually doing anything to help.

I give our pre school my spare seeds and bulbs every year for them to use. If I give them too much they pass onto gardening club and its nice seeing my seeds grown into beautiful flowers by the children.

Do you tap on their shells first? If you don't it apparently hurts them to be moved. I only found this out very recently and was mortified.

I helped a blind man get a taxi a couple of days ago
i run a hobby group as a volunteer
i donate to sex realist crowd funders
people are nice and helpful to me as well

I donate regularly to charity.
I'm a good shoulder to cry on.
I recycle everything I can, even down to spending ages removing tape from boxes so that they can be recycled properly.
I always let people in shopping queues behind me go before me if they only have a few items.
I paid for an elderly man's shopping recently (only two items) because he wanted to pay with a voucher and the store couldn't allow it.
I make it a point to let at least one other driver out when I'm making a car journey, or stop to allow people to cross the road.
I regularly hug or touch trees. Love trees, me 🙂

I cook at a food charity twice a month. We cook a 3 course veggie meal for around 60 people using mostly surplus food from supermarkets/wholesalers. The guests sit together to eat so they get a couple of hours of company as well as the food.
I am a trustee of a friends group of a local green space.

What on earth is a sex realist crowd funder??

Donate blood
volunteer in a charity shop
parish councillor
trustee of a charity
deliver parish newsletter
hold doors open for people and generally try to be a decent, pleasant and helpful human. - sometimes I fail!

I did know that know you can’t just pick them up, but I didn’t know the shell tapping trick! I usually use a leaf to help scoop them up. I will try the shell tapping though, thanks!

usually but not always women fundraising to take court action against businesses /political parties/police/councils/sporting bodies etc who have mistreated them because of their sex or knowledge that it is impossible to change sex

I spent half an hour letting a bereaved daughter talk about her mother at work when the reason she was ringing could have been dealt with in a couple of minutes.

I donate to charity and volunteer and some of my DC's clubs.

I am trying to bring my DC's up to be decent human beings that don't see the world as black and white but with massive shades of grey.

My DS told me about the snails when he was 3. Aunty Mabel told him!

I tipped my uber driver because he was lovely

I went over to my mum’s and planted a rose in her garden for her

I work for a charity that supports people to look after one another.