When I was a kid, the act of being kind always shook me to the core. Being kind warmed my heart so much that it left me in tears. Sadly, not everyone has the experience of someone being kind to them or of doing the act themselves.
I feel as though people forget to stop and be kind because life is tough and unfair. People are afraid to be kind because it either makes them look weak or because it’s inconvenient for them. Spreading kindness can take only a few minutes of your time and it makes you feel good about yourself.
Here are 5 Simple Ways to Spread Kindness & Love:
- Compliment Someone
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Complimenting someone makes both you and the person you’re complimenting feel good. Everyone has busy lives to focus on. Who knows if they’re dealing with stress, if they lost someone they love or if they feel respected, valued or appreciate. Just one simple compliment can totally change their mood.
Genuinely give them a compliment whether you like what they’re wearing or if you are acknowledging their hard work. Compliment them with honesty!
- Making Time For Friends & Family
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If you’re an extremely busy person, you don’t have to take a week or days off, but simply taking a few hours off can be effective. Not only are you valuing important people in your life, but you’re able to value and love yourself by giving yourself a mental break from work or other responsibilities.
Also, creating stronger relationships with the people most important to you will lead to more effective communication and more empathy for each other.
- Listen More
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When you’re engaging with someone in a conversation, listen more to what they say. I’ve had experiences where I’d talk to my friends, but they were so distracted with their phones that they didn’t really listen to what I said.
Be engaged and act attentively by putting your phone away, making more eye-contact and not speaking over them. If you must stop them mid-sentence or the conversation, let them know you have to take a step out of the conversation for a while by politely excusing yourself.
Practice listening actively, meaning be in the moment as they talk to you!
- Go Out of Your Way to Help Someone
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These simple acts can be: holding a door for somebody, helping someone carry their items or translating directions to a foreigner! From taking a few minutes to an hour to help someone can spread positive vibes and hopefully pass on the act of kindness.
- Think Before You Respond
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Our emotions can play a big role in our behavior. When you’re emotional, reflect and understand what type of reaction you most likely will have.
If you know you’re going to say mean comments, take a deep breath and just walk away in order to let the anger or any negative emotion simmer down.
If you know you’re going to cry and break down, walk away and get your thoughts in order.
If you’re an impulsive person, find ways to rationalize your thoughts. Before making impulsive decisions, share it with someone you trust and vent your feelings.
Being kind doesn’t mean being fake or lying, but simply not saying unnecessary mean things and bringing people down. All you have to do is think before you respond by figuring out strategies to handle your emotions. We might mess up and say mean things here and there, but as long as we try to improve on ourselves and apologize for our mistakes, we can all become a better version of ourselves.