This week, for our Do Good, Feel Good theme, I started thinking about ways to do good things for other people. People seem to think you have to volunteer frequently or donate lots of money to charity in order to do good, and those are great, but as broke, busy students, those aren’t always realistic. So I figured I’d share my favorite cheap and easy way to do good and feel good through random acts of kindness like these…
1. Compliment a stranger (or a friend, all compliments are good compliments!)
2. Make a little care package for a friend or family member if you know they’re stressed! This could be anything from a inspirational quote taped on a chocolate bar to a Starbucks gift card to a nice little plant to a card, etc. You know them best so just think of what they would like the most!
3. Call a family member. If you’re away from home for university your parents are missing you, or if you’re close with your aunt, grandparents, etc. they would love to hear from you too! Just make time to give them a call and show them you care.
4. Pay it forward! Pay for the person behind you in line at a coffee shop and encourage them to do the same!
5. Show your appreciation to people who have served you! As someone who has worked in the service industry, hearing you did well from a customer always makes my day better! Tell your barista if your peppermint mocha is the best one you’ve ever had – they’ll appreciate it!
6. Talk to an elderly person. If you’re on the bus or at a cafe and see an elderly person sitting alone, go have a chat with them. My 102-year-old great grandmother loves chatting with strangers; she has so many adventures to tell them about and a lot of wisdom. Many elderly people talk to very few people throughout the day; you could help make their day not so lonely. Also, if you’re in Victoria and near the Colwood Tim Hortons on a Tuesday night, stop by to play scrabble with Ken; he’s a really sweet man dealing with Parkinsons who loves to chat and have a game of scrabble. He’s always there with his board set up, ready to play and help beginners!
7. If you have some extra money, buy some food or warm socks to donate or hand out to homeless people.
8. Pay for someone on the bus if they don’t have enough change.
9. Compliment a stranger’s laugh or smile. So many people are self conscious about these things, but they are the first things people do when they’re happy. Help someone feel good about expressing joy!
10. Pick up garbage in a park or in your neighborhood. We need to be kind to the earth too!
11. Join the UVic Random Acts of Kindness Club! Do nice things with nice people!
12. Take some time to care for yourself. Whether its having a bubble bath, making some tea and reading a good book, binging on Netflix, having a nap, or buying yourself a little treat, you need to make time to be kind to yourself, too!
Go out and be kind to each other!