Being kind to others and making their lives better is an act of kindness. You can form meaningful relationships through it, and you can connect with others.
Kindness can be practiced towards other people or towards ourselves, resulting in positive mental, physical changes and reducing stress levels as well as boosting the body’s production of dopamine, oxytocin, and serotonin [the feel good hormones].
The ability to be empathetic and kind can improve an individual’s confidence, happiness, and overall outlook on life. We often encourage others to do good when we are kind to them because our kindness reflects on them.
On November 13, sprinkle a little extra sweetness out into the world wherever you are by showing a little extra kindness.
Is your mind set?
This article highlights 5 innovative activities that will help spread empathy to those around you and the world at large.
Activities that express empathy in an innovative way:
Say Hi and Smile
Despite how trivial it seems, a smile has immense power. Smiles show people that their presence is noticed, and they feel welcomed when you look them in the eye and acknowledge their presence. Your smile might be worth $10 to many in today’s world and in the midst of recent unpleasant events.
Another idea would be to send random emails to colleagues with a funny gif and a note saying “Here’s Your Smile for Today.”
Create “Blessing Bags”
There may be some people in your community who are impacted more severely by an increase in unemployment numbers. The local women’s shelters and homeless shelters are always in need of donations such as clean socks, hand sanitizers, mini toiletries, and so on. Consider collecting and donating items to your local shelter. Or, have Ziploc bags stuffed with items like clean socks, toiletries, tissues, etc. and hand them out to those you may see standing on street corners. Write a handwritten, kind note to include in the bag.
Write Thank You Cards to First Responders
Local emergency personnel and law enforcement workers have worked hard this year to try and keep our communities safe while also doing their best to save lives. Consider spending World Kindness Day crafting cards to send to a local hospital, fire station, or even a police station. A few words of encouragement and love can go a long way. You can do the same for healthcare workers, too.
An alternative idea is to consider donating to local causes that support local emergency personnel or initiatives such as Health Emergency Initiative and law enforcement families.
Donate to Your Favorite Cause
There’s no better day to donate to your favorite non-profit organization than on World Kindness Day. Research a cause that matters to you (whether it’s saving lives, , fighting against human trafficking or something else) and donate. Any amount — big or small — makes a difference to those nonprofits with tight budgets. SEE; project 1 million
Give World Kindness Day Activities a Try Anytime
Currently, more than ever the world needs a little bit more kindness.
Kindness doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be as simple as picking up the mail for your sick neighbor or chatting with a colleague to see how their daughter’s weekend sporting event went.
The list above is not by any means an exhaustive one, but it’s a starting point to get you brainstorming. There are a ton of different approaches you can take for World Kindness Day activities.
The important point of the day is to just pick one kind activity and try it out. If you love it, you can make it more than an annual tradition — you can do it daily, weekly, or monthly.
How will you celebrate World Kindness Day? Do you have any favorite activities? For more ideas, see 14 Ways to Spread Kindness at Work!
What are some of the best acts of kindness you’ve ever seen? Please share your heartwarming stories below!
