As school goes along and we all get more stressed, politeness and acts of kindness quickly start to disappear and that’s a shame! Our campus is so beautiful and the only thing that could make it more so would be our kindness to each other and a strong sense of community. So here are five steps to work towards being a kinder person and making a nurturing atmosphere for everyone.
1. Hold the door for each other
This may be my southern hospitality talking but we should all start holding the doors for each other. The doors here seem to be exceptionally heavy and the smallest thing, like not having to push those heavy doors, is a nice little pick-me-up that can brighten anyone’s day!
2. Say hello to your dorm-mates.
There are all these people living under the same roof as you and you probably don’t even know all of them. When you come and go from the dorm, or even when you’re washing your hands in the bathroom, say “Hello” or “Have a great day!”- you never know the effect it might have on another person.
3. Smile at people who aren’t smiling back.
You see them every day: the overloaded students walking past you on the sidewalk with a look on their face that shows how stressed they are. Instead of just walking by, try flashing those pearly whites! I’m sure your beautiful smile will brighten their day.
4. Do a random act of kindness for your roommate.
On days when you know your roommate has a lot of work or will be busy all day, try to do something that will make their day a little easier. I try and make my roommate a cup of tea when I know she has a big engineering lab due the next morning. Even something as simple as taking that day’s trash out takes one more small task off their mind so they can focus on the big things they have coming up.
5. Do an act of kindness for someone random.
Along the lines of number four, you should try to do something nice for someone else in your life or someone you know in class – maybe grabbing an extra cookie from Saladelia for the girl you’ve seen studying nonstop for the past four hours. We are all in this learning community together and should all share the burden and try to make things easier for each other.
So there are just a few ideas on how to make life easier for you and everyone else by being kinder and more caring. Being kind to others will make them feel better about their day and make your day great knowing what you’ve done for someone else!