Put a Smile on Their Face and Boost in Your own Step by Celebrating the Season with Kindness

LAS VEGAS, November 30, 2021 – Performing simple acts of kindness can make you feel good, but can they improve your health? This holiday season Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican offers a modern take on an ancient holiday tradition. 

The Advent Calendar dates back almost 200 years and is a special way many families count down the days to Christmas. A traditional calendar features a small window for each date, behind which would be a small treasure – a picture, a gift, or a chocolate.

St. Rose Dominican hospitals honor the tradition by creating an updated version with a modern twist. The Advent Kindness Calendar is posted on Social Media and suggests small acts of kindness followers can perform each day to help brighten the season for friends, family, and coworkers. 

Each day, from December 1 through December 24, St. Rose Dominican hospital Facebook channels will post a small act of kindness and ask followers to carry it out during their day. Daily acts of kindness are quick, simple, and spread the spirit of the season.

• Share a smile with someone you don’t know
• Send a positive text message to a friend or family member 
• Sort through your old towels and donate them to a local animal shelter
• Reconnect with a friend you haven’t talked to in a long time

But beyond putting a smile on someone’s face, performing a simple act of kindness can also put a boost in your step. Recent medical writings indicate sharing acts of kindness can produce positive health benefits. A recent Mayo Clinic article explains that: 

• Kindness has been shown to increase self-esteem, empathy and compassion, and improve mood. 
• It can decrease blood pressure and stress levels. 
  
• Kindness can increase a person’s sense of connectivity with others, which can directly impact loneliness, improve low mood, and enhance relationships. 
  
• Physiologically, kindness can positively impact the brain, boosting neurotransmitters that give you feelings of satisfaction and well-being. 
  
• Endorphins, the body’s natural pain killer, can also be released.

People who give of themselves in a balanced way tend to be healthier and live longer. And there’s yet another important symptom of Kindness. It can be contagious. 

As we enter the season of Advent, St. Rose Dominican invites southern Nevadans to join us and follow our Advent Kindness Calendar. Make someone’s day, every day until Christmas. And enjoy the medical benefits of practicing Humankindness. It’s a win-win. 

Find the Advent Kindness Calendar on our hospital Facebook pages:

• Siena Hospital
  
• San Martin Hospital  
• Rose de Lima Hospital 

Together, we hope to make the holiday season merry and bright for everyone around us.

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About Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican:

As the community’s only nonprofit, faith-based health system, Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican has been guided by the vision and core values of the Adrian Dominican Sisters since 1947. As the Henderson and Las Vegas communities grow, the St. Rose Dominican health system and its nearly 4,000 employees will continue the Sisters’ mission of serving people in need. St. Rose Dominican is a member of the multi-state Dignity Health network of nearly 10,000 physicians, 60,000 employees, 41 acute care hospitals, and 400-plus care centers, including hospitals, urgent and occupational care, imaging centers, and primary care clinics. For more information, visit our website at www.strosehospitals.org. Dignity Health was recently recognized as part of Forbes’ annual list of America’s Best-In-State Employers 2020, as one of the top ten best employers in Nevada.