Qi Soup for the Soul - uplifting stories in uncertain times

As the Government once again tightens the restrictions upon us all we find ourselves feeling anxious and unsure and there seems to be a fog of uncertainty for what Christmas 2020 or even life after the festive season is going to look like for us all, as a planet.

It has become painstakingly obvious that we are powerless to change the situation on a whole, all we can do is have faith, keep our bubbles tight and keep following the government guidelines whilst breeding positivity.

Positivity is a practice and its a tough one, especially in times such as these, but it is said that the more we practice a positive outlook and search for the positivity which is all around us (underneath the fear and the uncertainty) the more it will show itself to us.

With that being said, we have been filling our lives with positive stories this week and we would love to share some with you in the hope that it spreads a smile or a warm fuzzy feeling to you all - if in doubt, always have a cup of tea on hand to help with the warm fuzzy feeling! Hehehe

First up is Sebbie Hall, 17, from Whittington, Staffordshire.

He has raised more than £3,500 for charities who support young people by performing acts of kindness around his area.

His acts of kindness included washing cars, watering gardens and handing out Nice biscuits to strangers. Sebbie's mother Ashley Hall explained: "When the schools all shut down in March, Sebbie wanted to speak to one of his friends via Zoom and he couldn't understand when I had to explain this particular young person didn't have access to the internet, they haven't got a tablet,

"Sebbie said 'well this person will be lonely'".

Mrs Hall told her son the best way to help was by raising money for charity.

Mrs Hall said her son, who has a rare chromosome anomaly which has resulted in low muscle tone and speech problems, has helped more than 300 people with his acts of kindness.

She said he used his pocket money to take a pot of money to car parks in Lichfield for people who may have forgotten their change and did the same at a laundrette, leaving the owner "in tears".

How amazing! We love this story, it brought a tear to our eyes to think about the kindness of this 17 year old boy and his pure and good heart.

Second up is free flowers left in public to surprise passers-by.

Flowers have been left in parks, on supermarket trolleys and on walls at the seaside to surprise the next person that finds them. Prestige Flowers, based in Halifax, started the project to spread joy to people during the coronavirus pandemic. Bouquets of flowers are left with notes attached, to then be found later that day.

After starting in West Yorkshire, it's now spread across the country.

Passing on the positivity beautifully here, we love this!!

Third is Music teacher Chris Hannah.

Chris found himself in a bit of tricky situation after the school he works at in America closed because of the coronavirus. His students look forward to seeing Chris' therapy dog, Cole, everyday.

Many of the students rely on Cole to help them with their anxiety and emotions.

Despite the school closure, Chris managed to find a clever way to reach the students. He paid them a much-needed visit by driving past their houses so they could see Cole in person.

Some of the children went all-out, making posters and decorating their driveways to welcome their furry friend!

This gesture of kindness was sure to bring a smile to so many children in a time that must be so confusing for them!

Fourth is Cancer support workers and therapists unable to see patients face-to-face have been making "kindness calls" to offer a different kind of care.

They made the change while being unable to work from their Trinity Holistic Centre base in Middlesbrough during the coronavirus lockdown. Volunteer Maxine Nicholson says it is "essential" the work continues.

The centre normally provides emotional support, advice, counselling and complementary therapies. Ms Nicholson, who volunteers alongside her job as a cancer support worker at James Cook Hospital, first went to the centre as a patient when she had breast cancer.

"Despite the fact we've lost all our usual income we didn't want to furlough the staff because we wanted to launch this new service," she said.

Without these calls "some of the patients might suffer emotionally with nobody to talk to".

They make a weekly phone call of whatever length needed to patients already on their database and to people referred by other agencies.

"We can just talk if it's just talking they want," Ms Nicholson said.

"But we can offer telephone counselling, mindfulness we can even get financial advice for them and we can offer support on local Covid-19 services.” Some therapists have also spoken to patients in hospital with coronavirus who are missing their families.

Some kindness can go unnoticed or taken for granted - the impact these acts of kindness and compassion have had on the communities around them is immense. We should all try to “pay it forward” as often as we are able to, long may the kindness continue!

Stay Safe, Stay Kind Tea Lovers!