5 Easy Ways to Brighten Someone’s Day
With the past year we’ve had, mental health has taken a nosedive. We could all use something to brighten our days. As the world slowly returns to normal, we can speed the recovery process by making small gestures that lift our own moods and those we care about. Here are five easy ways to brighten someone’s day.
- Pose a Casual Invitation
Even though many of us are embracing time out of quarantine, it is still challenging to leave the house. We are creatures of habit, and with the time we’ve spent indoors, it will take a little pushing from those we care about to get excited about venturing out of our hobbit holes. Take the initiative and phone a friend. Ask if they’d like to grab a few drinks after work. Be spontaneous and carefree and inspire your friends and family to follow in your footsteps.
- Leave a Thoughtful Note
It doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day. If you and your partner haven’t spent a lot of time alone together lately, then make an effort to connect by leaving a thoughtful note for them to find as they head out for the day or when they come home later that night. Find some kind words to express how much your partner means to you and remind them that you two go together like milk and honey. This gesture will lift their overworked spirits, and they’ll most likely return the gesture to you in one form or another.
- Show Love with Food
Returning to the office is anxiety-provoking for a lot of people coming back to work. Ease nerves by bringing in a tasty treat for the team. It’s human nature to find joy in food, so be the one to bring this source of comfort into your place of work and brighten everyone’s day with each bite. Make a homecooked meal for your family or splurge a little and go out to a fancy restaurant. Food is a great comfort source, but it also brings people together around the table and can make guests feel welcome in your home.
- Surprise Someone with Flowers
Flowers are great gifts for special occasions but are even more exciting for no occasion at all. Send your partner flowers at work or order some carnations and send them to your mom. Flowers tell people that they are loved and being thought of kindly. There is no better classic way to show someone you care than by sending flowers their way. For rush orders, look into same day flowers and get those pretty hydrangeas to your loved one right away.
- Pay it Forward
At the drive-through? Offer to pay for the order of the person behind you. Got a Groupon for a dinner you won’t have time to use? Pass it off to a stranger or someone who looks like they need some cheering up. The simple acts we do for people in our communities make an immense difference to how they (and we) feel. People rarely go out of their way to show kindness to others they don’t know, so even the smallest gestures are deeply appreciated. Consider holding the door open for someone, letting them budge you in line, or help someone carry something heavy to their car. There is always something you can do to help someone else, and they’ll be all the more grateful for it. Pay it forward.
It doesn’t take an arm and a leg to brighten someone’s day. Follow these suggestions and bring joy to your friends’ and families lives today.