“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
Leo Buscaglia, 1924 – 1998
What can you do today to help someone out? Research shows that we benefit tremendously from offering kindness – it switches on feel-good hormones that reduce stress and anxiety. So what are we waiting for…
Here’s a list of 20 ideas to get you thinking – but the best, I think are spontaneous – like letting someone bustling and bristling in front of you in a queue, or giving a generous smile to a passer by.
- Call a friend that you haven’t spoken to for a while
- Send a letter to a grandparent
- Send flowers to a friend
- Offer to pick up some groceries for your elderly neighbour
- Send someone a handwritten note
- Offer to babysit for a friend
- Walk your friend’s dog
- Tell your family members how much you love and appreciate them
- Help your parents with household chores
- Help a friend get active
- Make someone laugh
- Offer to cook for a friend or family member
- Make a cup of tea for a friend or family member
- Help with a household chore at home or for a friend
- Host an informal get together and invite your neighbours to get to know each other
- Tell someone you know that you are proud of them
- Tell someone you know why you are thankful for them
- Send a motivational text to a friend who is struggling
- Send someone you know a joke to cheer them up
- Send someone you know a picture of a cute animal
The best way to help yourself is just doing kind things – but if you need to be convinced there’s a great article DOING GOOD DOES YOU GOOD by a proffessor at Oxford University, read it over your coffee break and then make someone a coffee!
Discover more from do yoga! with deb
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.