87 Ways to Be Kind and Loving
Whether it’s with loved ones or strangers, it never hurts to treat people with kindness. Here are 87 ideas – and a free activity – to #GrowKindness
Grrrr.
How to be kind seems simple enough. But sometimes it feels impossible to be kind and loving, don’t you think? We get so angry and frustrated at events happening in our lives that we cannot access that loving place inside of us. Instead, our eyes go from side to side as our fists clench and minds whirl with angry thoughts. Some of us even spew those thoughts out into the world with our talk and our actions.
Or sometimes we just don’t know what todo. We have a nagging feeling that we need to be doing something, but we’re just not sure what.
当这一切发生的时候,我总是喜欢坐下来,take a moment to reflect. I know that, when you love someone, there must be a better way and that the best antidote to these feelings is to act loving even if I don’t feel very much like doing so. And sometimes I just need a little more help – some prompts, ideas, things to get me going, to shift my emotions. So I made this list of 87 ways to be kind and loving. So next time you feel stuck and are unsure how to be kind in that moment, check this list and you will definitely find something to get you moving in the right direction.
Please share this list freelybecause there just can’t be too much kindness and love in the world.
How to Be Extra Kind with Loved Ones
Even with people we know and love, acts of kindness don’t necessarily spring out of nowhere. It takes a conscious decision by us to be kind. Here are some tried and true ideas for how to be kind with those special people in our life.
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- Surprise them with an unexpected visit or phone call.
- Give them a big hug.
- Express your empathy.Often the greatest gift we can someone else is the gift of empathy. This short video from Brené Brown does a great job of explaining the difference between sympathy and empathy – and why empathy is so amazing.
- Give them a handwritten card or letter.
- Babysit for free.To new parents especially, this can mean the world. I have done this several times for my neighbors after the toddler went to bed. I could stay there in case the child woke up, but almost always I simply read my book on the couch and let the parents have a well-deserved break to go get a glass of wine.
- Write them a letter.
- 让他们一顿饭。当我的伴侣有手术和I felt stretched very thin, the frozen meals that our loved ones had brought over made such a difference.
- Go visit your parents.Tell them how much you appreciate them (or at least one thing about them you appreciate).
- Treat them to their favorite coffee.
- Say ‘I love you’ with meaning.
- Tell them how wonderful they are and how happy you are to have them in your life.
- Ask, “How can I help you?”
- Make them a cup of tea
- Listen to them carefully without interrupting
- Say, “I’m sorry.”
- Buy them a gift from the dollar store.
- Help with a household chore.
- Tell them you wish you understood.
- Bring them Ibruprofen for their headache.
- Invite them to play.
- Acknowledge and respect their feelings even if you feel they are not accurate / appropriate.
- Hold their hand.
- Buy them a small chocolate (but not if they’re on a diet. :-))
- Gently wash and dress their cut/wound.
- Tell them about the best part of the day you just spent with them.
- Let them sleep.
- Offer them a drink of water.
- Wear or use a gift they gave you in their presence.
- Keep that sigh to yourself.
- Use a kind voice even if you have to fake it.
- Listen for the feelings behind the words.
- Put chocolate chips in their pancakes.
- Visit a sick friend.
- Run them a bath.
- Give a new mom her own gift.
- Respect someone’s wishes.
- Write messages of love and put them in their lunches.
- Choose a book they might like and lend it to a friend.
- Take the garbage out for a friend.
- Hold them while they cry.
- Give them a chocolate bandaid.
- Invite them over for scones and clotted cream.
- 发送一个副本啊f a photo to the person in it.
- Make someone else’s bed.
- Share your knowledge with someone who needs it.
- Share herbs from your garden.
- Share a good recipe.
Download this FREE activity to teach kids about kindness #GrowKindness
How to Be Kind with Strangers
To feel the many benefits of kindness, both internal and external, it’s not necessary to know the person at all. Sometimes acts of kindness for strangers are the most powerful kind.
- Take a rose to someone in the home for the elderly. Or simply go there with the intention of connecting and conversing with someone.
- Say please and thank you.
- Let someone go first through a door.
- Buy a box of cookies and offer them around.
- Carry someone’s bags.
- Pick up some trash.
- Be extra polite.
- Donate your “read” books to the library.
- Buy a sandwich for the person asking for cash in front of the grocery store.
- Hold up your hand in thanks when other drivers let you through.
- Welcome new people to your neighborhood, school, club, etc. – Community is an essential part of a happy life, but it’s also something that many of us feel is missing. A simple phone call or message of welcome can really mean the difference to someone who is in a new, vulnerable situation.
- Hold a door open for someone.
- Buy a stranger lunch. The last time this happened to me, I was traveling in Guatemala – and it touched me very deeply.
- Put change in an expiring meter.
- Offer up your seat.
- Return a misplaced or lost item.
- Smile at every stranger at the mall.
- Donate your unwanted items
- Send off a care package to the military.
- Share your homegrown vegetables.
- Pay for a strangers bridge toll.
- Write Post-It notes with encouraging messages and leave them in library books.
- Write a thank you note.
- Leave some change at the coffee machine.
- Let people through in traffic.
- Use a compost bin and recycle as much as possible.
- Acknowledge someone else’s kindness to you.
- Leave a tip plus another dollar.
- Pay a compliment.
- Leave your old magazines in waiting rooms.
- Volunteer.
- Buy some flowers and give them out.
- Let someone go ahead at the checkout.
- Be patient when you want to yell.
- Water someone’s drying / dying flowers.
- Let someone cut in line at the movie theater.
- Listen carefully to what someone is really passionate about.
- Ask a customer service person genuinely how they’re doing.
- Invite someone who recently moved to town for coffee.
- Be extra patient and understanding.
- 87 Ways to Be Kind and Loving- June 27, 2022
- 13 Tips to Reduce Stress & Anxiety During Covid-19- April 8, 2021
- 6 Tips for Making the Best of Your Reality- October 12, 2020
Mini Pop-Up Kit #GrowKindness
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wrote these all down hoping to do well thanks so much
Thank you so much
thank you
Thank you so much ma’am. God bless your soul and all that you care for ma’am.
Sweet and so true ❤️
I never knew that there could be so many ways to show kindness. But your list seems to capture everything. I would just like to say that kindness has many forms and never restrict yourself by thinking you are not kind. Everyone is kind in their own way. Every kind deed counts in making this world a better place. Another simple way to express your kind is by joining aidbees – world’s first social kindness platform where your every kind deed matters. It is also a ngo platform that makes the acts of donating, volunteering and sharing life stories easy. It is a donation platform with over 30 NGOs from across India – that have been working towards grassroot development. The user is free to choose in whichever way they want to create a positive impact. Kindness stories can affect someone. Be a changemaker and spread impact stories for good.
Valuable words.
love these and it amazing love to see more
Thanks for your meaningful advice
Anable, you are wonderful with your advice, thank you so much i really love it.
Anabel,
I love this list. Just reading the list made me smile.
Hope you are well.
Warmly,
Analia
wonderful!
omg
i love this
Dear Anabel
First of all, thank you so much for your sharing the list on kindness and after that I have to tell something honestly.
I’m 52 years old man and I didn’t have good relationship with some people. but after thinking about your advice I asked myself why am I like this? Fortunately, I found the right solution and that was:
Thinking and following your advice.-
I changed my life and I’m very happy because of that.
Thank you again and again….
Eisa
During Saturday School my 2nd and 3rd graders came up with these: help someone up, be a friend, talk nicely, pick up trash, be responsible, use teamwork, feed pets, say “I love you” or “thank you”, help mom cook.
Those are wonderful! Thanks for adding them to our list, Laura.
It’s the little things, surprises, unexpected kindness. Seeing someone else’s face light up and truely be thankful for the little things.
Acts of kindness. Great list to be posted on the fridge next to art from a customer’s child.
Cool list… Thank you so much for sharing
I also do the following –
Do some of their job
Share about my tough day
Thank you for sharing the list on kindness.1
I have always been kind to people and in Return I get hurt and disrespect.People took me for granted due to my kindness…I never wanted to be rude but today I am so much rude person and thou I never wanted to be but Nature has made me.
I know how you feel, dear one. When we give kindness, there is a part of us that longs for love to be given to us, too.
But beyond that, there is true love, which gives and gives and asks for nothing in return. It allows all beings, all things, to be exactly as they are, without any wish for anything to be different at all.
Love says, “It’s okay that you are as you are! I love you just as you are, because you are as you are, and I love you any way you choose to be.”
This is true love, unconditional. It takes some time for us to bloom into this seeing, but this love is freeing. It liberates us, and those are around us, absolutely.
May you find it deep within you to give this love to others, and to yourself. You are a treasure!
Bless you, bless you.
im sorry stay kind and strong ignore haters
i relly like this list
One of the most beautiful thing to do. Inspired me to be kind and make my own list of kindness too!
whn i show kindness to my Mom, she says i have an agenda and says i pretend to love her. she also says she knows she’s bg a burden to me. she’s everything opposite she thinks she is to me.
Came across this post today and it’s inspired me to post a similar thing. I wish more people would do these things. A little bit of kindness goes such a long way. x
I’ve become so negative and sometimes aggressive with myself and others since a while. Sometimes I am so impatient and rude that I can’t stand it. And sometimes I don’t even notice. When I was younger nothing could shake my kindness and positivity. I’ll try to be a better person from today on. Maybe this list will help me. Thanks a lot for being so kind and creative to share this list ;).
Please let us know how it goes practicing these ideas Cam – every day a new chance to experiment
Thank you for sharing such kind thoughts and actions. I am ashamed that I had to read your post to rekindle in me the basic principles of kindness. Unfortunately I have been plodding on blindly and directionlessly (not sure if this is a word!) in life without considering the impact of my words and actions on others.
Thank you
Thank you Naveen, for your openness in sharing. Maybe the key is that directionless state – perhaps when you have a more clear picture of what you want to be adding in the world, it will create a burning drive in you to make sure the impact you have is aligned to that. Check this post about using purpose to align ourselves://www.my-pmu.com/2012/11/01/does-purpose-affect-emotions/
Love it – especially the first one Hope to have tea with you soon Thanks again for sharing – I love the list it made me smile too – sent it out to many friends – thanks again – have a great day
Thanks Anabel for sharing this lovely list….We can keep adding to it and help make the world a better place…Cheers!
This I call “Living” kindness…pun intended. Thank you so much. The world needs it more than anything else, especially now
What a wonderful article. Too often we forget how the little things in life can have the greatest impact
We have a list of over 110 ways to love yourself and others that we use in our Taking It Lightly program. We challenge participants to do 2 per week for a year and watch their lives transform. Thanks for sharing – there are some ideas here we can add to our list!
What a wonderful list, thanks for sharing … I would love to share my 44 acts List
Care after a friend in needPray for someone when in need
Give some’s child/pet a gift
Try to understand where others are coming from
When you invite them over, make something they love
When others invite you be there and if you can’t , make it up for them
Contact others during or after a major life event if you cannot be with them
Show others that you genuinely care
Share your meal/dessert/… with someone
Give sincere and polite advice/opinion if you are asked to
Show respect to other people’s loved ones
Thank/compliment a friend publicly
Forgive someone
Show your kindness when others least expect it
Take some time to help strangers when the ask for directions
Be good to other drivers
Help other shoppers
Say nice things about other people behind their back
Be nice to the doorman, the waitress or the waiter who serve you
Give affection
Greet people
Clean up after yourself
Give others the benefit of the doubt
When you go out with a friend, offer to pay the bill
Put water or food for animals in your neighborhood
Play with a child
Share your umbrella
Pay for the Valet parking for your friend
Complain less and appreciate more
Write your reviews so that other customers can benefit from them
Be polite on the road
Respect other people’s time and arrive on time
Buy a coworker a cup of coffee or a donut and place it on their disk with a kind note
Respect other people’s belongings and territory
Lift up someone’s spirit
Be positive and don’t weigh others whenever you meet them with your problems
Help others with job opportunities
Donate blood
Give you pen to someone who needs it
Send thank you notes or messages
Be nice to new people
Share the title of a great book you’ve just finished reading
Bring peace wherever you are
Treat others with Integrity!
this is a great list to remind us there is a big beautiful world out there
Lovely! Makes me feel more human Thank you for sharing!
Anabel,
Very loving thoughts. In fact doing this makes us get more love too!
What a wonderful list for me to learn to be kind to everyone.
Thank you for sharing .
Much Love and Light to you
Aisshvarya
Anabel,
I have posted these at my company and I have had nothing but smiles and yes’s
It is so much easier to share love then discontent
thank you so much for your desire to share love
Lovely! It was a great pleasure to go through the list: Apprantly small things but generate big results. I agree they possess magical power. We do need such reminders. Thanks Anabel for reminding.
This is so lovely Anabel
Thank you so much! Some people in this world might make you feel like there is no point of being kind but truly, kindness needs to be in the world more than ever!
choices create consequences
awareness + action = change
positive actions result in positive changes!
Yes, and the first choice is perhaps (as your formula demonstrates) the most significant.
Love,
anabel
Greet strangers, help people pick what they mistakenly dropped on the floor, be ‘big’ enough to loose battles , let things go to those who need them more, smile at children it builds their confidence….remember to enquire about a significant life event, say happy birthday, listen to their stories, let them show you their pictures and tell you the stories behind each
Be sure to be make sure to always be kind to others and not unkind
by the way, i just noticed while tweeting this , that the URL says 75-ways. I guess you’ve outdone yourself!!!
不需要等待生气或强调使用se to turn around those feelings. For me, doing them regularly keeps me happy with a sense of purpose so that I rarely get angry and stressed. Great list! #34 is my favorite (I’ll need to work on that one).
一位好朋友曾经说过,“所有伟大的教师是really great actors.” Would you agree?
Love,
anabel
Good reminder when we forget:)
Small acts create powerful impact.
Thanks Anabel! Josh go tweeter and I would go Facebook then.
Thank you Natalie,
Your act will help spread these tiny moments of thoughtfulness.
Love,
anabel
It’s lovely! Thank you Anabel for your kind sharing of actions! These are at times very small efforts but they share our being.
Yes, I agree. These are essentially equal to tiny drop of waters, which I hope will become a torrent swishing around the world.
Love,
anabel
Thank you for sharing, Anabel – love this!
Going to add a few:
-invite a friend for a walk/hike/run outside – get lost and found in the awe all around
-bake and share (cookies, muffins, brownies, you name it!)
-compliment a stranger on a noticed kindness
-laugh
Hi Kate,
Thank you so much. I am going to add your identified items to the list. I am setting a goal to reach at least 133.
Love,
aanbel
Yeah, thanks Annabel!
What a wonderful list! Thank you for taking the time to create and to share this
Great list Anabel! I’ll add: Tweet their article. I’m going to do that now for yours!
I don’t know how to show love. I had to google how. Thank you.