Little Acts of Kindness Make Big Results

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” - Mother Teresa.

Remember how you have felt before when you had a tough day, and someone smiled at you?  Or when you helped your neighbor carry in groceries, and how she still thanks you to this day? Any small act of kindness can make huge impacts on a person’s life.

Small acts often lead to huge ripples. A small act can change the life of a person, who then can perform a kindness for someone else. And the cycle continues to grow - improving everyone's mental health.

No matter how small or large the kindness is, it is likely to affect your mental health greatly. According to psychologists and researchers, small acts of kindness create a rebound effect on not only the receiver’s psyche but yours too.

For instance, a smile increases the receiver’s comfort level and makes them more contented. It also leaves you in a better mood too. A simple smile could be the reason someone is lifted out of despair.

Small acts of kindness can change in two ways; they are the catalyst for others to start invoking their small acts of kindness and have an infectious outcome on others. In other words, as we perform small acts of kindness, other people look at them, motivating more acts of kindness.

For another example, if you are friendly to a bus driver, she is more likely to be extra attentive to the following passenger. That passenger is then more likely to go home and have a positive conversation with her family.

People who tend to do small things to spread kindness are more likely to take action in bigger ways.

Consider these ten ways for your small acts of kindness to be impactful:

1. Study first aid. By learning first aid principles, you can be prepared to act if someone needs help in an emergency.
2. Be a part of a community clean-up. Support clean-up at a park, neighborhood, or local beach area.
3. Donate toys to the local women's and children's centers.
4. Donate flowers to someone at places like care homes, hospices, or women’s homes.
5. Cook a hot meal for a neighbor who has been down on their luck.
6. Leave snacks for your coworkers in the staff breakroom.
7. Volunteer for your local Brownies/Scouts or boys’/girls’ clubs.
8. Give your used books to a local library or children in need.
9. Remove single-use plastic from your life. Recycle plastics and other recyclables.
10. Leave uplifting notes in self-help books at your local library.

Whatever you decide to do, each small act of kindness can have a big impact on others in ways you may never imagine. Each small action is observed and passed along to another, making it grow into a big accomplishment.