Small acts of kindness to brighten up your day
Joshua Boulet, Features and Entertainment Editor
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
People like giving. The Bible tells people to be kind to one another and this virtue is also engrained in the human psyche. The brain responds to donations with the same sort of happy response as when receiving money.
All of this to say: being kind to others brightens up everyone’s day. Today is World Kindness Day, and here are a few ways to be kind to one another for the occasion.
Giving a gift to a friend
Who doesn’t love their friends? Granted, it may cost money or time and college students tend to lack both. However, the gratitude gained from giving a gift cannot be understated. Not all gifts have to be monetary. Any friend would be absolutely ecstatic to receive a gift from someone they like. Nobody cares if the gift is super cheap or expensive, a gift is a gift. An expensive gift may leave more of an impact, but a cheap gift will still give that warm feeling.
Paying for a someone’s meal
Money isn’t everything, but people still have to worry about it. Especially college students. Paying for someone’s meal, whether a perfect stranger or a good friend, can help someone through a tough day. People shouldn’t pay outside of their means, but if they have a few extra bucks it can cheer someone up.
Listen well during a conversation
Picture this: five friends are talking and hanging out. Plenty of friendly banter keeps the energy high. Yet, whenever one person tries to talk, someone else overshadows them. It happens all to often. Try to be the person who keeps eye contact with whoever is overshadowed. Just paying attention can mean the world to someone in that particular moment. Then that person will want to try and do the same for someone else.
A single act gets the ball rolling for even more kindness.
Give an honest compliment
Compliments are a tricky thing, since men tend to come off too forward. The trick is to keep your compliments honest.
Don’t be weird with a compliment, be sensible. Point out something that someone could be intentional about. Compliment something specific and be honest. If someone puts effort into their outfit then a friend tells them how nice it looks, it will make their day. For guys in particular, compliment guys you are friends with. If your friend’s outfit is looking better than you’ve ever noticed, let them know.
Thank your favorite professors
Many professors work hard to teach as well as they do. Leaving a thank you note for every professor may seem disingenuous but thanking your favorites can leave an impact. Professors have to deal with plenty and teach many classes during each semester. Point out something in particular you enjoyed, be specific and intentional. A professor had great lectures? Tell them how great their lectures were.
Tell your friends you love them
Because everybody could use to be reminded of this fact. Don’t do it to fish for compliments or to hear it in return. Say it because if you love someone, they deserve to hear it.
