Faith Mackey, Director, Worth Living Blog

5 Ways to Participate in World Kindness Day

By: Faith Mackey 

Introduction

World Kindness Day is here! And you know what that means: it’s time for you to get out there and be kind. But if you’re not sure how we’ve got some ideas. Whether you want to dedicate an entire day or a few hours to helping others, here are some ways to get involved with World Kindness Day! This is a great day to get involved with your community, connect with loved ones, and give back to your best friend, YOU! 

Random act of kindness

The simplest way to participate in World Kindness Day is to perform a random act of kindness. That could mean holding the door open for someone or simply saying “thank you” when someone holds it for you. It doesn’t have to be anything big: even just saying hi and smiling can brighten someone’s day!

Random acts of kindness don’t have to cost money—in fact, sometimes they’ll actually save money! For example, helping someone cross the street, carrying in a neighbour’s groceries, or even just giving someone a smile. As they say, a smile is worth a thousand words. 

Think outside the box! Here are some great random acts of kindness that you might want to try: 

• Making baked goods and giving them out to strangers, family, or friends
• Volunteering at a local shelter 
• Donating clothing items 
• Buying a bus ticket for a strangers 
• Leave encouraging messages around for people to find
• Pay for the person behind you
• Give someone a compliment 
• Donate food 
• Give a friend a gift
• Write a note for someone in your life

Call a loved one and tell them why they lift you up

Shine light on a friend or family member who is a true person in your support net. Call them up and tell them why they make your days brighter! Here are some things to chat about: 

• Tell them what you appreciate about them.
• Tell them how they make you feel and how they make your life better, or at least more bearable.
• Tell them how they’ve made your day so much better just by being in it.

Donate to your favourite charity

Donating to a charity (if you have the means) can be a great way to participate in World Kindness Day. Here is some things to consider when choosing a charity to donate to: 

• Donate to a charity that you believe in.
• Donate to a charity that is local to you.
• Donate to a charity that you have personal experience with.
• Donate to a charity that you can afford.

Have a self-care night (give kindness back to you!)

You are your own BFF and sometimes you need to give yourself a bit more kindness. Use World Kindness Day to celebrate you and your strength. Here are some great ways to get your self-care on: 

• Take a bath
• Read a book
• Eat your favourite treat 
• Watch your favourite movie
• Do a craft
• Listen to music
• Light some candles
• Do a face mask
• Do some laundry
• Stay in and just relax

Keep being kind

Being kind is a great way to show love and respect for others, but kindness also has the power to make you feel good about yourself. Being kind to others in your community makes you feel more connected to that community as well. 

It’s easy to focus on being kind because it makes other people feel good. However, it’s important that we also take care of ourselves in order for us to be able to give out kindness throughout the year. To practice this self-kindness, try doing something nice for yourself every day or week! Because there are so many things that make us who we are (like our personality traits), it might take some time before figuring out what is best suited for your needs—but once you do find something that works well enough, keep doing it!

Conclusion

World Kindness Day is a great way to remind yourself and others of the power of one small act of kindness. It can be easy to forget about all the good we do for each other on a day-to-day basis, but with this holiday we are given an opportunity to pause and reflect on how much good there is in the world! Whether you’re celebrating by writing cards or volunteering at your local shelter, make sure that tomorrow (November 13th) is spent doing something kind for someone else.