1. Compliment a stranger
A genuine compliment can make someone’s morning, I make a point to compliment someone at least once a day. Not only will it give the recipient a sense of confidence, but it’ll make you feel good too!
2. Send a handwritten letter or postcard to a relative.
Handwritten notes and letters hold a special sentiment, especially to your older relatives. Even a one-page letter written while procrastinating on your homework can brighten up a loved one’s life. Stamps are inexpensive, and buying a pack can open up opportunities to connect with people all over the world.
3. Call up a friend you haven’t talked to in a while, just to catch up.
Friendship can survive distance and months of non-communication, it doesn’t mean that there is any less love. But checking in and reestablishing that you care for them no matter what is always a nice thing to hear from a friend.
4. Bring snacks for your class, coworkers, or friends.
You never know what kind of day someone is having, and it’s near impossible to check in with every single colleague. But bringing in snacks can break the office out of the everyday monotony. Not to mention, someone may return the favor on a day when you need it! :)
5. Go sing at a nursing home
Not to start this off on a depressing note, but as many as 60 percent of senior citizens who live in a nursing home environment do not receive outside visitors. Give back to your community by spreading some cheer :)
6. Support your friends’ art
Encouraging your friends’ passion is a great way to show someone you care about them. Offering help or posting pictures of their art/writing/music on Instagram and tagging them can provide some much-needed motivation.
7. Make a playlist
This classic gesture is so easy but never fails to make someone feel special. Hop on Spotify or Apple Music when you have a free minute, and just add a few songs that remind you of them, or that you think they’d like. Once you feel your playlist is complete, give it a unique name, and share it with them!
8. Make a spontaneous Insta post about loving your friends
It’s always nice to wake up to some validation, am I right?
9. Email or write an old teacher who made a difference in your life
Teaching can be a really difficult job, but it’s all worth it if even one student took a valuable message away from their class.
10. Make two lunches and give one away
Helping someone less fortunate, even if we don’t know them, is one of the core parts of working towards a better world.
11. Give yourself a treat!
It’s important to remember to treat ourselves with kindness and patience. You’re a human being, and you’re not perfect, but you still deserve respect and love. This can mean a classic treat yourself day, a gift for yourself you haven’t been able to justify spending money on, a special dessert, anything! You deserve good things, and you should feel comfortable giving them to yourself.