7 good deeds to do today
The more pressure you have in our own life and the thinner you’re spread, the more you tend to want to hold on for dear life to your precious resources. So, going out of your way to do something kind for another person seems counterintuitive, right? Actually, sometimes the best thing you can do to lift your spirits or change your perspective is to think of the needs of someone else.
Here are some easy ways to give back and do a good deed today:
1. Pick up the phone
Call someone you care about and express your gratitude for having them in your life and all that they do for you. It doesn’t have to be the person that saved your life 10 years ago, it can be the person who picks your child up from school once a week so you can get other things done, your mum who always having time to listen to your concerns, or the neighbour who brings your bins in when you forget. It will not only make their day, it will make yours too!
2. Become a pick-up artist
Scan your local park, favourite bushwalking track, or beach for rubbish and spend 10-30 minutes picking it up. Imagine if one person took the time to do this every day - you could start a revolution in your area!
As a bonus, spending time in nature is also an act of self-care. Most of us care about the environment, but feel helpless about what we can do. Cleaning up your favourite places has at least two added benefits for mental health: time in nature reduces stress, and it can help reduce feelings of mild anxiety or helplessness about local environmental issues too.1
If you’re not sure how to get started – or how important it is that you do – check out the information packs put together by Take 3 for the Sea and the Clean Up Australia campaign.
3. Donate
Donating can mean giving your time, your money, or both to any cause you care about, be it local or global. With so many great initiatives and deserving charities, your biggest issue will likely be deciding which one to choose. You could donate a cake to your school’s bake sale or fete, donate old towels and blankets to an animal shelter, give your time to help in refugee resettlement , send a one off donation to your favourite charity, or commit to a small, ongoing amount for an environmental charity – check out this list for the best environmental charities to give to in 2021.
4. Love thy neighbour
Somewhere in your neighbourhood, there’s probably someone who’d love a bit of support. It doesn’t need to be much – perhaps you could just take an neighbour out for a coffee or bring their groceries in for them. Make the time to get to know the locals if you don’t already, because doing so can help foster a better sense of community and prevent very real issues such as feelings of isolation and loneliness. Besides, lots of people have a lot of perspective, wisdom to offer and great stories to tell – you might end up getting more out of the good deed than you expected!
5. Pay a compliment
Paying someone a compliment is a very quick way to brighten another person’s day – and it’s highly likely you’ll feel good afterwards too. A simple comment like, ‘Your hair looks great!’ or, ‘You have a lovely smile’ can be all that it takes. But you’ll get extra good karma points for compliments that have nothing to do with someone’s looks, so try saying something like, ‘I really appreciate the way you take the time to listen’, or ‘I really admire how you grow your own vegetables.’
6. Stay local
Support the small businesses in your local area. Pick up a paper from the newsagency, buy a coffee from the café around the corner, or a bunch of flowers from the independent florist. Small, regular purchases at your favourite independent local businesses means the world to them, and help you feel more connected to your community too. For more reasons to shop local, check out this article.
7. Let someone into your lane
This isn’t a metaphor… you’re actually doing the world a good deed every time you allow someone into your lane in heavy traffic. Why? Because letting someone cut in front of you in traffic can actually help to ease traffic jams and bottlenecks. All act not only positively impacts the flow of traffic, it can also positively impact the flow of the rest of your day and that of the driver you just let in.
Good for you and good for your community
Whenever you perform a random act of kindness or a good deed like those above, you’re doing more than being kind to those around you. You’re reinforcing your own positive feelings of empathy, gratitude and compassion.
Tie it all up together, and ultimately, you’re fostering a greater sense of community and connectedness.
What good deed will you choose today?
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