Santa is currently checking and re-checking his naughty and nice list; which list do you think your name is written on? Have you been nice this year? It shouldn’t only be during the Christmas season when we’re being our nice selves, we need to be nice all year round. Although Christmas is a time of joy for a lot of people, it is also a time of sorrow and for remembering those who aren’t with us nowadays; one’s mental health can topple at any time no matter what season. We need to be kind and here are some simple ways in which we can be kind to those around us:
Be genuine
In our daily lives, we come into contact with so many people; family, friends, co-workers and strangers and we communicate with them in some way. We say the usual “Hey, how are you?” and we then go about our daily lives without ever really stopping to talk to the person on the receiving end of that question. Stop, look at them and smile while asking how they are, have a conversation with them and arrange a small catch-up whenever you’re both free. To the ones you are close with, sit down and ask them “How are you, really?”, give them that space to open up to you about anything that might be weighing on their minds. A small chat and a laugh hold more power than we can ever grow to understand. Be genuine.
Use your manners
A simple “Please”, “Thank you” or “You’re Welcome” can go a long way with a person. One simply cannot emphasise the importance of using one’s manners. Whether it be a conversation with a close friend or a brief encounter with a stranger, you’d be amazed at how people react to manners; it’s like this happy switch is flipped in their minds and they automatically smile at the kind phrases.
Meme power
Sometimes when I’m having a bad day, my friends will sense my sadness and send me memes to brighten up my day. There’s no better feeling than being sent a meme that makes you laugh or smile wholesomely with your friends captioning it “I saw this today and thought of you!”. The fact that they were even thinking of you is a kind thing in itself.
Hold the door
Hold the door open for those you know and those you don’t know, hold it open for those who are capable of holding it open for themselves and those who aren’t capable. It costs nothing to be kind and if you have the door held open for you then please don’t forget to say “Thank you!”.
Contagious smiles
Smile, smile, smile! Your smile is so contagious and all it takes is a simple experiment by smiling at someone and you’ll see that they smile back. Although there were times when I’ve done that and haven’t gotten a smile back, you can’t win everyone over. We live in a time where our smiles are literally masked behind our masks so when someone is outdoors with their mask off and they’re smiling at you, smile back. Don’t hide it!
Typing…Sent…Delivered
It doesn’t have to be rocket science; my boyfriend and I do this on a daily basis where we send each other a “thinking of you” message. No, it’s not sappy, it’s not embarrassing, it’s simply enlightening and it makes your whole day seem that bit better. A simple text of “Good morning, I hope you have a great day today in college/ work/ life in general, can’t wait to hear about it later”. Kind words take no effort to type or to say.
Just because
Whether it be in the comfort of your own home or out and about in the cold busy streets, coming up to someone with a surprise cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate is personally one of the kindest things I’ve witnessed. You might offer someone a hot beverage and they decline because they feel guilty about being bought something, but upon your arrival back to them with their surprise cup of tea, they’ll light up and be forever grateful for that kind gesture. You may find it to be something so small, but to them, it’s such a big thing; meaning that little cup will mean more to them than you can comprehend.
