The official Random Acts of Kindness Week took place in February, but luckily it is not difficult to make every additional week of the year Random Acts of Kindness Week as well – all we have to do is perform acts of kindness. Random Acts of Kindness is a social movement that originated from the United States and encourages people to be kind towards others in a world that can sometimes be divided and hateful. The word “random” does not mean that the acts of kindness cannot be planned beforehand, but rather that they are usually done anonymously. This way it can be made sure that the person who commits the act does not have ulterior motives for it, for example getting more likes on social media, but they do it purely because they want to spread kindness. Committing random acts of kindness does not only make someone else’s day, but it has also been proved to improve your own mood and even health. There’s an actual word for it: “helper’s high” is a term used for the happiness one feels due to helping someone else. So, if committing random acts of kindness is beneficial for everyone involved, why not give it a try? Here are some easy and cheap ways to spread kindness to get you started:
1. Buy a coffee for the person behind you in the line of a café.
2. Tell the cleaners at your school that they’re doing a great job and that their job is much appreciated.
3. Compliment a friend or a family member or even a stranger.
4. Donate your old toys, clothes or books.
5. Leave notes around your campus or workplace with motivational quotes
6. Volunteer.
7. Leave a chocolate bar on a bus seat with a note saying, “The finder gets to keep this, you’re welcome :)”.
8. Don’t forget to be kind to the environment! Walk or ride a bike if possible rather than use a car.
9. Help a younger sibling or neighbour with their homework.
10. Write your spouse, a friend or a family member a letter telling them why you love and appreciate them.
11. Be kind online.
12. Offer to cook a meal for someone.
13. Leave a kind note or a banknote in a library book.
14. Give a gift card for someone in need.
15. Remember to be kind to yourself! Spend an entire day doing something that makes you happy!
You can find more kindness ideas in the official website for the Random Acts of Kindness movement, go check them out! And most importantly, have fun making the world a better place!