Every year, people from all over the globe resolve to bring a little bit more kindness and joy into the world on World Kindness Day, celebrated on November 13th.
You never know what someone’s going through – but adding a little more kindness is something we’re all about here at thortful. That’s why we launched our Send a Smile cards – think of them as like a big old hug, folded up in a little card. While we should all try our best to be kind as much as we can, occasionally even the friendliest among us might need a little nudge to perform some random acts of kindness, and World Kindness Day is the perfect time for that. So take a look at some of our sweet ideas for little acts of kindness you can do – honestly, we promise, most of them don’t involve going out of your way.
if all of us did one nice thing for someone on World Kindness Day, imagine how many people might feel just a little bit better. Not to get too cliche-greetings-card-company about it all, but start spreading kindness around, and give the best gift you can – a smile. If you decide to spread some of that kindness around, we’d love to hear about it – head over to our Instagram and share the love that you’re sharing so we can see!
Give your colleagues an unexpected compliment
Letting your colleagues know how much you appreciate them is an easy way to spread happiness on World Kindness Day! Everyone likes to hear a compliment, especially an unexpected one. So take the time to brighten your colleagues’ work day with a little note just to say something nice. Drop a message to your work friends as a random act of kindness to tell them ‘thanks for keeping me sane on long calls with clients’ or email a new starter to say ‘it’s great to have you on board, I think you’ve got some fantastic ideas!’
Send a card to someone who’s having a tough time
It’s not news that lots of people are struggling with mental health these days. If you know someone is having a tough time right now, consider sending them a card just to say ‘I’m thinking of you’. You might not be able to be there in person, but knowing that someone is thinking of them can feel just as comforting as a hug sometimes. Sending a card won’t fix everything – but if someone is going through a difficult time, getting an unexpected bit of positive post might just give a bright spot to one day. For more ideas, take a look at our thinking of you cards for some inspiration!
We’ve recently teamed up with the brilliant Bryony Gordon to create a positive, good-vibes-only collection of affirmation cards – read our interview with Bryony to find out more. If you’re wondering what to say, then we even have a handy guide on what to write in a thinking of you card.
Send a positive text to three friends
Texts, WhatsApps, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter – we spend so much time keeping up with people and chats that it’s actually easy for people to slip through the cracks. For World Kindness Day, why not scroll a little further down in your message history and see who you haven’t checked in with for a little while? Drop a positive text to three friends or family members you haven’t spoken to in a while – send them a funny meme, a positive quote, or just say that you value having them in your life.
Plant a tree
Celebrate kindness by being kind to the earth, and invest in something for future generations by planting a tree! Planting trees helps to combat climate change and defend fragile ecosystems, so if you’re able, plant a tree in your garden, and enjoy watching it grow. No garden? No problem. Even if you can’t get to your favourite beauty spot to plant a tree in person, you can still help the environment with your random act of kindness – donate to World Land Trust and they will plant a tree with your donation. Just £5 will fund a tree’s nurturing, planting, and protection.
Check in on your neighbours
Spread kindness literally right around you, and check in on your neighbours! If you don’t speak to them often, this is a great opportunity to re-introduce yourself, and check how they’re getting on. For elderly members of your community, you could volunteer to help them out with some of their shopping, or just give them a quick call once a week so they have someone to talk to. Some people might not want a lengthy chat at the doorstep, so you can always pop a note through their letterbox with your phone number and offer to talk.
Buy someone a coffee
We Brits can be a bit awkward when it comes to going outside of our comfort zones, but the next time you’re in line at the coffee shop, instead of dashing out the door with your cappuccino, offer to pay for the person behind you in the queue as a random act of kindness. It might feel a bit odd to treat a stranger to a coffee, but we absolutely guarantee it will make their day. You’ll get the warm, happy glow of knowing you did a nice thing for someone, and they’ll get the warm, happy glow of free coffee. Everyone wins.
Donate to a charity
If you can, it’s always fun to get together with friends or colleagues for big charity fundraising ideas like bake sales, fun runs or fancy dress – but every little helps! Little acts of kindness and small, consistent donations are what help keep charities going. One great idea for giving to charity is donating your commute – with lots of us now doing hybrid working or heading into the office a little less, choose to save up whatever you’d normally spend on commuting in a week or a month, and instead donate that money to your charity of choice.
No matter how you choose to celebrate World Kindness Day, the main thing is to spread joy, cheerfulness, and thoughtfulness. So share the kindness as far and wide as you can, and bring a little more happiness into the world one person at a time. For inspiration, check out some of our positive Send a Smile cards, or head to the thortful blog and check out our Happy Reads.
