I’ve always been an advocate for doing random acts of kindness. Doing nice things for others just for the sake of doing it is one of the most beautiful things we as humans can do for one another. However, spreading kindness can be pretty difficult during a pandemic. Here are some ways to brighten up your community while staying socially distant!
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Use Social Media as a Tool to Spread Positivity
There are plenty of ways to make positive effects on people using social media. It can be as simple as commenting nice things on people’s posts. Some other ideas are donating to GoFundMe’s and promoting them on your profile, leaving warm reviews on small businesses’ pages, DMing a peer and telling them something kind, and even starting a trend to spread positivity. In March, when the lockdown first began, I made a video of all the things that kept me positive, and urged my followers to do the same. It was great to see how everyone was staying positive, and they inspired others to do the same!
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Try Out The Drive-Through Method
If you want a completely anonymous way of doing something special for someone- this method is for you. Next time you’re in a drive through, when you get up to the window to pay, offer to cover the cost of the car behind you. Chances are, the car behind you will pay for the person behind them and it’ll keep going and going. This is a great way to start a chain of acts of kindness in a discreet way.
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Practice The Subtle Art of Handwritten Notes
Giving someone a handwritten note can be so meaningful. There are plenty of ways you can leave little notes for people in a safe way. You can write a thank you note to the mailman and leave it taped to your mailbox. You can write a few kind words and stick them on your neighbor’s door. You can even go on different pen pal matching sites and send someone abroad some words of encouragement!
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If You Don’t Want to Write a Note and Deliver it, Send eCards!
Last year when the lockdown first began, I sent a bunch of my professors and faculty members eCards letting them know that I’ll miss seeing them in person and that I hope they’re staying well. It was amazing to see how positively they all responded! My biggest tip for spreading kindness and gratitude would be to send eCards to your favorite professors, or just anyone you interacted with at your university that you admire. From what I gathered, they don’t receive a lot of notes like that, so they would probably really appreciate it.
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Put Together a COVID-Care Package
You can gather all sorts of COVID-necessary materials like masks, travel hand sanitizers, sanitizing wipes, and gloves and send it to someone in need. You could send it to a friend who’s running low on supplies or to a food and resource pantry, chances are they need as many COVID materials as possible and they’d appreciate your contribution.
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Send Someone a Meal via UberEats
Give someone the gift of not cooking tonight. You could do this for a friend, a family member, or whomever you’re close to. I know that my mom hates to cook since she’s so busy at work, so sending her a meal from her favorite restaurant would make her really happy! If you’re going to do this, be sure to leave them a message letting them know it came from you.
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Volunteer Virtually
Volunteering is hands down the best way to spread kindness and give back to your community. However, it might be pretty difficult to volunteer in person and stay safe. A great option to give back is to volunteer virtually. There are plenty of ways to volunteer remotely while still making a positive impact on people’s lives. A great source for location-independent volunteer work is serving as a Crisis Counselor at Crisis Text Line. They are a crisis platform where you will be able to text someone in need directly and offer them emotional support. You can find more information here. It’s a great low commitment opportunity to help out people who are really hurting right now.
Now is the best opportunity to take some time out of your day and spread kindness in your community and beyond. We are all collectively going through a crisis, and even the smallest act of kindness can make someone feel so much happier. It doesn’t take much to be the reason someone smiles today.