Did you know that practicing kindness can alleviate stress and other mental health concerns, including depression and anxiety? When you are kind to others, you increase feelings of connectivity with those around you, improve your relationships and boost your overall mental health.
Here are a few ideas for practicing kindness you can start today.
- Hold the door open for someone, whether it’s a loved one or a stranger
- Pay for the person behind you in line at the coffee shop
- Give someone a compliment or celebrate an accomplishment
- Donate money, clothes, food or any other item that others could put to good use
- Write a letter and send it through the mail to a loved one or through a pen pal service
- Text a friend or co-worker a message of encouragement
- Send a care package to a soldier (To give to U.S. soldiers, read the U.S. government’s suggestions: Sending a Military Care Package: What You Need to Know)
- Share your favorite book with someone at your local senior center
- Return out-of-place items while you shop
- Cook a meal for your neighbor
- Donate blood or plasma
- Take snacks to your local police or fire station
- Call a friend “just because”
These ideas can help you make someone else’s day brighter while easing your stress and connecting with those around you. Sources: National Institutes of Health and American Psychiatric Association & SupportLinc Wellbeing Place