As the holiday season is now here, it is the perfect time to spread some kindness and cheer. Not only will you feel better about yourself, you will also be brightening someone’s day who may be going through a tough time.
Who doesn’t love being told their outfit today looks pretty or their hair is particularly nice? Try telling someone on campus you’ve never talked to before and you may even make a new friend. I know when someone compliments an item of clothing I have on or my shoes, I’m more inclined to wear it again because of the boost of confidence that person gave me. Even if it is your best friend you always compliment, go out of your way to make them smile today, you never know how it will affect them.
Restaurant workers, nail salons, hotel housekeeping, etc. all work hard to give you top quality service. If you have the extra dollars to spare, leave a larger tip than you normally would. You never know what that money could do, it could buy their children more food for the night or help them pay off their car. These workers have to deal with people leaving little to no tip all the time, so helping them out when you can will be greatly appreciated and they will be more likely to go out of their way for you in the future.
If you decide to go through the drive through, for coffee or food, pay for the car behind you. It will be completely unexpected and will change the person’s day, and might even motivate that car to do the same for the cars behind them. You can also find out what other people like to order from these places, and possibly try a new order. You will have to pay attention to the car behind you first though, because you never know how large an order is going to be. You can do the same thing at the grocery store, food can be extremely expensive and being able to help them out even a little bit will be a huge difference.
Donate your clothes to local thrift stores or charities, it is easy to locate them online and find out where to drop them off or schedule them to be picked up. A lot of us have many clothing items we don’t really need but still hold onto just in case, now is the time to free up the space in your closet. Your clothes can help other people who are struggling to stay warm during the winter. You can also donate household items, such as toilet paper, diapers, school supplies as well. A lot of the items we take for granted so many people don’t have the ability to have. Going out of your way for a few minutes to pick up some items from the store and donate them can improve people’s lives forever.
Whether it’s at a hospital, homeless shelter, retirement home, or an adoption center there are so many places that need more volunteers. If you are looking for something to better yourself and spend some time away from your screen, this is it. Especially after the pandemic, these places need help more than ever. You can even have a friend come along with you so you have someone you already know with you. This is also a great way to give back to your community without needing extra money. Search online, walk around your town, ask your family members there are so many ways to find these places to volunteer at.
Leave a sticky note or letter on how much you love and appreciate a friend or significant other. You can leave it in their bag or on the table to surprise them. You can include a small gift along with it as well, such as chocolates or a stuffed animal. The effort shown by doing this goes a lot further than a text. You can tell them something that reminded you of them, your favorite things about them, or just telling them you hope they have an amazing day.
If you are away from home for college like me, you likely spend less time talking to your parents as before. Taking a few minutes out of your schedule to talk to your parents will make them happy and they won’t have to spam your phone asking where you’ve been. You can update them on how school is going and what it is like for you, and hear about the stories at home. If you have any pets back home you miss now is the time to see them over Facetime or through photos.
People tend to leave complaints and horrible experiences in reviews more often than positive ones, so showing some love to a business can go a long way. If the food was especially great that night, if one of the employees in the store spent a lot of time trying to help you find your items, or a hairstylist perfected your hair to your liking. It only takes a few seconds out of your day and will help potential customers make the decision of going to the establishment.
You never know who may be lonely around the holidays or financially struggling, invite one of your neighbors, someone in a club you’re in, or just a friend you want to get to know better to a dinner you have prepared. It is also an incentive for them to help you out in the future if you run into some sort of problem. Getting to know these people around you is important because you never know they can turn into one of your close friends or teach you something new.
Who doesn’t love some cookies or muffins for the holidays? You can hand them out to people you work with, people you go to school with, or your neighbors. It is a chance to catch up on how they are doing and if there is anything you can help them with. You can also have fun decorating the sweet treats and invite your friends or family to help in the process. You can put them in gift baskets and throw in a few extra items if you want to as well.
What are some ways you like to spread kindness to others? Let us know in the comments!
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