World Kindness Day: 50 acts of kindness

World Kindness Day is celebrated on the 13th November each year. It was first introduced in 1998 and is a way of reminding us to be kind to ourselves, each other, and the world.

Being kind costs nothing and the simplest things can have a significant impact. Here are 50 ideas of acts of kindness for yourself, family and friends, strangers, your community, and the environment.

Yourself

1. Meditate regularly

2. Write a gratitude list

3. Spend 30 minutes doing something you love

4. Love and compliment yourself

5. Plan a get-together with your favourite people

6. Treat yourself to a long walk

7. Sign up for a class you find interesting

8. Cross an item off your bucket list

9. Spend time with people who lift you up

10. Pamper yourself with a relaxing bath, good book, or favourite film
    

Family and friends

1. Get in touch with a relative you’ve not spoken to for a while

2. Text a friend with a picture sharing a happy memory

3. Give someone a compliment

4. Send a surprise gift to someone

5. Let someone else have the last piece of cake when you really want it

6. Be present when you’re together and turn off your phone

7. Forgive someone who’s wronged you

8. Call someone just to say you love them

9. Write a surprise note for your partner to find at work

10. Give someone a big hug
    

Strangers

1. Hold the door open for someone

2. Smile at people as you walk by

3. Be kind to a stranger

4. Buy coffee for a stranger (pay it forward in the cafe)

5. Put positive messages in places for people to find

6. Tuck a £5 note into a supermarket item for a stranger to find

7. Let someone go in front of you in the queue

8. Leave change in the vending machine for the next person

9. Simile at other drivers and allow someone to pull in front of you

10. Write a positive comment on your favourite blog
    

Your community

1. Do a litter pick in your local area

2. Offer to help with someone’s errands or garden

3. Find volunteering opportunities

4. Write a positive Google review for a local business

5. Help an elderly person

6. Donate to a food bank

7. Put out or take in the neighbour’s bins

8. Donate clothes or household goods to a shelter

9. Learn the names of the people around you

10. Give flowers to your local nursing home
    

The environment

1. Recycle

2. Save energy by turning off lights and electrical appliances

3. Plant a bee and butterfly friendly garden

4. Practice ‘leave no trace’ by leaving nature as you find it

5. Plant a tree - November is a great time

6. Feed the birds

7. Use a reusable water bottle and reduce single-use plastics

8. Repair items to cut down on what gets thrown away

9. Use energy efficient light bulbs

10. Choose non-toxic chemicals in the home

On a bad day, kindness from a stranger can give hope. On the worst days, it can keep someone alive and belief that they can survive another day.

Research also shows that kindness is associated with better health, longevity, happiness, and wellbeing. So whilst it’s good for the people around you, it’s also great for you.