There is one day in February each year where you are given the opportunity to demonstrate compassion and connect with others in a loving way. No, I am not talking about Valentine’s Day but, of course, Random Acts of Kindness Day which, this year, falls on Monday 17th February.
I love the thought of undertaking random acts of kindness. I write in both Rediscover Your Sparkle and Crappy to Happy how kindness is linked to happiness. It has been proven that doing five acts of kindness in a single day gives a significant boost to your own sense of joy even without taking the positive impact on others into account.
However, there is an underlying low-level stress about what the sorts of random acts of kindness are allowed. There are just so many ideas to choose from. How many should you try and do in a single day? There are some that only work from a home base and some that can only happen when out and about. Some take considerable time, some involve a financial investment and some can only come about if you are in the right place at the right time. Where to start with a random acts of kindness practice?
Never fear, I’ve got you. I have split random acts of kindness into three main types and given a handful of suggestions under each one. You may find one category more appealing than others or may find certain suggestions jump out at you. Let’s all start with just one random act of kindness and go from there.
Here are three kinds of random acts of kindness to do on Random Acts of Kindness day (or any day)…
1) Create
Why not create something and gift it? Undertaking random acts of kindness via your own creativity not only benefits the recipient but also helps you. Creativity enables you to tap into your inner child, get into a state of flow and helps you feel good as you improve your skill level.
You could write a letter or send a handwritten note or card to an old friend or distant relative. Perhaps you would like to bake a cake or muffins and bring your sweet treat into work or give it to the local library, hospital nurses station or elder care home. Use your talents to write a song or poem, knit a garment, draw a picture or build a bird feeder for a friend or neighbor.
Create Kindness Ideas:
Write – a letter, in a card, a poem, a song
Cook – baked goods, a meal
Craft – draw, knit, sew, build
2) Donate
Don’t have the time, talent or inclination to create? Donating your time or a few dollars can make someone’s day if done in the right way.
The customary example of a random act of kindness involves paying for the person’s coffee behind you at your local café. However my ‘lizard’ brain creates many worries around this scenario. What if the coffee shop doesn’t accept cash or you don’t have enough cash or you only have large notes and would want change? What if the person is ordering food with their beverage or getting their work team’s orders for the day – how would that work? How do you do it without the next person in line hearing you and making it clear to the staff member what you are trying to do?
That particular random act of kindness sounds great but I am doubtful about how it can play out smoothly in real life. Here are some alternative donations you can do on Random Acts of Kindness Day:
Donate Kindness Ideas:
Donate blood
Send flowers or a pot plant to a friend
Leave some change at the local laundromat
Give a book(s) to a friend, the library or to a Little Library
Offer to pick up groceries, fold washing, walk a dog or babysit
3) Communicate
You may not know it but your kind interaction with another human may be the only time they experience a caring encounter in their day. Not everyone will have the time or the budget to create or donate on Random Acts of Kindness Day but there is no excuse not to take the opportunity to communicate a little kindness, even if it’s just with a quiet thank you, an unexpected compliment or a simple smile.
Communicate Kindness Ideas:
Call – call your mama (and anyone else) for a ‘how are you going’ chat
Review – write a glowing review for a business you have recently interacted with or send positive feedback to the manager of someone who has given you great service (I absolutely love it when there is a new five-star review on one of my books)
Courtesy – let the vehicle near you merge in front, open the door for someone, offer the harassed looking parent or tired looking person the spot in front of you in the grocery line or return a shopping trolley for a stranger
Kinds of Random Acts of Kindness
There are all kinds of random acts of kindness to do on Random Acts of Kindness day (or any day). Don’t let all those Random Acts of Kindness lists overwhelm you. Choose one random act of kindness from the Create, Donate or Communicate ideas and commit to doing it on the 17th of February. Set a kindness alarm in your phone now to remind you.
The categories and lists above are not exhaustive so feel free to select something completely different. Please add a comment or email me with what random act of kindness you choose to do. And I especially want to hear from you if you are the brave soul who attempts to buy a coffee for a stranger!
Related Blog Posts:
3 Extraordinary Ordinary Kindness Practices That Anyone Can Do
3 Sparkle-Infused Challenges to Ignite Your Year
3 Happiness Habits Guaranteed to Bring Cheer to Your Day
3 Silly Ways to Rediscover Your Sparkle in Less Than 5 Seconds
Random Acts of Kindness Ideas:
https://www.signupgenius.com/groups/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas.cfm
Hi Julie, I baked some cookies today and going to share some with friends next weekend (after putting them in the freezer to keep them fresh of course!). As you know, my love language is baking! Thanks for the lovely post!
Love everything about this Hannah 🙂