Performing a random act of kindness can have a positive effect on everyone involved. In fact, giving and receiving kindness positively impacts your well-being and can make you a more empathetic leader. The benefits of kindness include increases in energy, happiness, lifespan, pleasure, serotonin and the love hormone, oxytocin. Practicing kindness also has health benefits that can lead to a reduction in pain, stress, depression and blood pressure. So, practice random acts of kindness and do yourself a favor while you’re doing something nice for someone else. Here are some ideas on how you can make a difference in the life of someone else through selfless acts of kindness in the workplace and in the community. In the workplace:
- Welcome a new co-worker.
- Share a kind note or letter.
- Mentor or tutor someone.
- Be a cheerleader for someone else’s idea or project.
- Introduce a colleague to a contact in your professional network.
- Compliment someone on their accomplishment.
- Donate a vacation day or sick day to a colleague who’s ill or caring for a sick loved one.
- Compliment a colleague to your boss.
- Invite a co-worker who is alone over the holidays to your home to celebrate.
- Ask someone about their background and culture.
- Bring coffee for a co-worker.
- Write a thank-you note to someone who has helped your career.
- Be kind to others.
In the community:
- Start a community garden.
- Donate to a pet shelter.
- Let someone cut in front of you in line.
- Give an unexpected compliment.
- Buy lemonade from a child’s lemonade stand.
- Donate to a local food bank.
- Volunteer your time.
- Put coins in an expired meter.
- Offer to return a stranger’s grocery cart to the front of the store.
- Pay the bill for the person behind you in the drive-thru line.
- Keep zippered bags filled with a small bottle of water, snacks and sample-size toiletries in your vehicle to give to the homeless.
- Write a thank-you note to your mail carrier.
- Get to know a stranger.
- Buy raw, local honey.
- Reduce your carbon footprint.
- Donate blood.
- Prepare a care package for an elderly neighbor.
- Support local businesses.
- Run or walk for a cause.
- Start a fundraiser.
Learn more about how to practice random acts of kindness in this Blue Cross® Virtual Well-BeingSM webinar. You can also sign up for future employer-focused and general interest webinars here, where you’ll find past sessions and resources. Related:
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