Kindness at Christmas

'TIS the season to be jolly, says the seasonal song. And one way of being happy, and spreading happiness, is through kindness. In fact, clinical health psychologist Dr Ravi Gill says: "Kindness boosts mood, reduces stress, and supports physical health by releasing feel-good hormones. It also strengthens social connections, builds empathy, and adds a sense of purpose and meaning to everyday life." Furthermore, new research from greetings card marketplace thortful finding that almost a third of Brits feel accomplished when they do an act of kindness, and over a quarter says it restores their faith in humanity when they receive one. So, they have come up with a list of 100 random acts of kindness for everyone to try, at least once, this Yuletide. Here's some of them: Smile at a stranger Offer to help carry someone’s heavy shopping Check in on a sibling Leave a positive post-it note in a public place Call your grandparents Give someone a hug Make your co-worker a coffee Leave a kind message on someone’s desk Offer to help a friend meet a tight deadline Ask a new starter to sit with you at lunch Give a genuine compliment to a teacher Sit with a new student on their first day Donate a bag of clothes you no longer wear Leave a kind review for a local shop or café Buy someone experiencing homelessness a hot meal Help someone in need cross a busy road Donate old blankets to an animal shelter Plant herbs in pots and give them to friends Leave out squirrel-safe snacks Join a community clean-up Send flowers to your best friend out of the blue Pay for the person behind you at the drive-thru Leave a thank you note for your postie or delivery driver Hide positive affirmations in random library books Compliment someone’s outfit Offer up your seat on a packed bus Offer to take a photo for a tourist Help carry someone’s pram, suitcase, or bags up the stairs Let someone go ahead of you in a queue Leave spare change in a vending machine Smile and thank the bus driver * For more ideas, go to www.thortful.com/blog/world-kindness-day-random-acts-of-kindness-2/