Marcus Aurelius once said; “Very little is needed to make a life happy, it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” For me, this quote sums up everything that I believe in. Whether we are down, anxious, or upset, the ability to live a happy life is always within ourselves nonetheless. One way to boost your own mental health, and that of others, is to practice random acts of kindness. In our busy lives, we often don’t stop to think about stopping and helping a stranger in their time of need, or simply just doing something nice for someone we do know. I don’t think it’s because we’re selfish, I think it’s simply because we are not wired to be this way.
Some people say that money makes the world go round. I think that random acts of kindness, creativity, and love that make the world go round. When was the last time you carried out a random act of kindness for someone who wasn’t your spouse? What about the old lady that needs help crossing the road? What about the young mum whose grocery bags split all over the car park? Instead of walking the other way, let’s start showing these random acts of kindness, not just for the receiver, but for our own mental health.
In this post, I’ve laid out the best 150 random acts of kindness ideas for you, to give you an idea of what you can start doing today to make someone else’s day whilst making yourself feel good too. After all, if no one ever helped anyone else, none of us would ever get anywhere.
I know people who take, take, take from everyone and everything. However, I also know people who drop everything when their friends need them, people who pick up litter from the beach without being asked, and people who buy or make random gifts for acquaintances. Let’s be honest, if even 50% more of the world displayed random acts of kindness on a more frequent basis, we’d all be better off.
In our tough economy, I believe it’s never been more important to show random acts of kindness. We all need other people to help us when we’re in need. Whether you believe in karma or not, it’s likely your random act of kindness will come back around to you when you do something kind without being prompted.
Here’s why showing random acts of kindness to others is so important…If you show one small act of kindness to someone, it has the ability to change their life. None of us knows what others might be going through. If someone is going through depression or real difficulties in their lives, your random act of kindness can give them that small bit of hope and encouragement that they need to push through, more than you know.
How often do you hear someone say, “My faith in the human race has been restored” after someone performs a random act of kindness they didn’t expect? People just don’t expect others to show acts of random kindness.
Showing random acts of kindness doesn’t have to be extreme, in fact, the small things are usually the best.
99 Best Random Acts Of Kindness Ideas
- Make someone a hot drink
- Volunteer at a homeless shelter
- Run a bath for your loved one before they come in
- Text someone a bit of motivation when you know they’re down
- Give back to your community
- Donate to children in need
- Offer to buy someone shopping if they look like they’re struggling
- Carry someone’s bags to their car
- Make a handmade card for a loved one
- Tell someone how much they mean to you
- Get sponsored to do something for charity
- Visit a retirement home and volunteer some time there
- Donate magazines or toys to a children’s hospital
- Give a stranger a compliment
- Let someone with kids go in front of you in a line
- Give a stranger with young kids some money at Christmastime
- Pay for a stranger’s meal at a restaurant
- Offer to build someone’s complicated purchase at the homeware store
- Hold doors open for people
- Let someone pull out at a junction
- Donate your old clothes
- Grit a stranger’s driveway when it’s icy
- Fix something for someone for free
- Offer to take your friend’s kids to school/drop them off for no reason
- Say sorry to those with who you have had differences in the past
- Help someone across the street
- Do days work for someone desperate for help for free
- Tell someone how much they mean to you without being prompted
- Pick up trash at the beach
- Volunteer at your child’s school
- Pay a young family’s gas bill
- Ask someone what their biggest struggle is and commit to helping them solve it
- Give someone coupons that you know you won’t use anyway
- Put any loose change you have in a donation box
- If a waiter does a fantastic job, leave a generous tip for them.
- Leave an encouraging note for someone
- Write letters to vets
- Commit to a day of positivity to lift everyone else’s spirits
- Look after a friend’s kids for a day to give them a break!
- Fill a shoebox with gifts and send it to Africa for a child
- Give up your seat on the bus/train for the elderly or pregnant
- Lend something of value to a friend
- Buy your mother some flowers
- Make your family a warm drink on a cold day
- Take your family out for a picnic
- Surprise your loved one with a day out
- Leave notes around your house/apartment for a loved one
- Take your kids out to see a film
- Get something for your kids you know they’ve wanted for a long time
- Buy a family some drinks at a restaurant
- Put an encouraging note in a bottle a throw it into the sea
- Make a mixtape for someone
- Clean someone’s car for them, inside and out
- Cook a healthy meal and donate it to a homeless shelter
- Mentor someone in need
- Visit grandparents and listen to their story
- Help someone who has a flat tyre
- Lend someone your phone to make a call
- Mow your neighbour’s lawn
- Give someone a ride home
- Lend someone your favourite book
- Recycle things you don’t use
- Take someone’s bulky waste to the tip for them
- Give a sick animal a home
- Make a blanket or throw to give away as a prize
- Feed to ducks and birds at the park
- Let someone else choose what to watch on the TV
- Donate toys your child doesn’t use anymore
- Offer to help someone paint their house if they struggle on their own
- Plant a tree/trees
- Babysit for a friend one evening
- Walk an elderly person’s dog
- Volunteer to do some building work for a community project
- Teach someone something valuable that you find easy
- Start a blog and share your knowledge
- Leave small amounts of money for strangers to find
- Order an anonymous gift to be delivered to someone’s work or home
- Clean someone’s room for them
- Take your younger siblings out for the day
- Speak on advice for young people in need
- Pay for someone’s car gas
- Paint someone a picture
- Tell someone the truth and give them perspective
- Turn up at a friend’s place with a small gift
- Let someone who you’re thinking about them
- Just say thank you
- Gather online photos of a loved one and print them in a physical photo album
- Make a postcard and send it to a loved one
- Leave a small gift on a stranger’s doorstep
- Sign up for organ donation in your local area
- Take two umbrellas to work so you can hand one out when raining
- Just listen to someone who needs to vent it out
- When you find out something useful, share it
- when someone does a random act of kindness, give thanks
- Give someone the benefit of the doubt
- Just check in with someone even if you think they are okay
- Water your neighbour’s plants for them
- Buy a stranger morning coffee
- Donate food to your local charity
In my opinion, these are some of the best random acts of kindness ideas that you can do right now. As I said above, it’s the small things that often count the most. Making someone else’s day can easily make your own day. The look on someone else’s face is priceless when you perform a random act of kindness.
I hope you enjoyed these random kindness ideas, if you have any suggestions for the list, please leave a comment below.
Sean C is a writer, passionate about improving one’s self by maintaining healthy habits and doing the things that make life more meaningful.