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8 Thoughtful Ways To Genuinely Cheer Someone Up
‘Blue Monday’ which (apparently) means that today is the most depressing day of the year.
Personally, I associate Blue Monday with Yo Sushi and that makes me happy because sushi is my favourite food everrrr. But someone, somewhere (*cough* marketing *cough*) has dubbed this day the ‘most depressing’ for the various factors which includes the winter blues, post-Christmas slump, the pressures of being a ‘NEW YOU’, lack of motivation, looming bills, and debt level. Oh, the joy!
Life is gloomy as it is without playing into the hands of a day that was invented by marketing to make things even more miserable. But here we are. Blue bloody Monday.
I promise you that there is NOTHING blue about this blogpost, and I’m not going to persuade you to book lavish beach holidays or buy expensive gift to remedy the blues of Blue Monday, so I hope you do read on!
While Blue Monday is not entirely real, being sad and depressed is. Depression hits close to home as I watched a family member go through this when I was younger, so I’ve always been extremely aware of it.
As I touched on 5 ways to sprinkle happiness in to your own life in my blogpost a few days ago, I would like to focus this one on how to spread joy and positivity to lift others. It sounds obvious but it doesn’t hurt to throw a few more ideas out there! I know, myself, that I don’t do enough as I should and could definitely do more for other people.
I’m all about using the power of positivity because I know how badly it effects me when I’m being negative, and expressing gratitude, being kind, and generous hopefully inspires others to pay it forward.
I promise you, if you feel down in the dumps, your mood will instantly be boosted after reaching out and do something nice for someone who needs extra support. It is so rewarding to help others, and it is more fulfilling to hear that you’ve made someone’s day than to receive a compliment.
I mean, “it’s like that book I read in 9th grade that said ‘Tis a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people.'” (I swear I didn’t learn all the important things in life from Cher from Clueless… ?)
I’ve come up with some less obvious but equally as thoughtful ways to genuinely cheer someone up – all of which are simple, everyone can do it. And most of which are absolutely free or low-cost.
Let’s spread the good vibes. The world needs it right now!
1. Do Something Nice
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| Sponsored by Leetchi.com |
Ok, ‘do something nice‘. That’s a bit vague, isn’t it? Alright, hear me out. So, maybe you know someone who’s birthday is coming up and you’d like to make it special this year because they really deserve it?
But planning something special usually requires money, and if you’re considering doing this for a friend, relative, or colleague, you’re probably going to need to club together to pool money and Leetchi.com is a platform to collect money in to a virtual pot with ease.
It’s also a way to do something lovely for someone else without putting said person in the spotlight. It’s a subtle way to let them know that you’re thinking of them, and it’s a way to ease the difficulties and awkwardness of money pooling.
Leetchi.com may also be used to collect money to help grant someone their wishes or kickstart a project – big or small, whatever it may be.
In the past week, I’ve been thinking of a more meaningful way for which I could use Leetchi.com, and I would really like to use it to raise money to help my little sister with a project she has been thinking about for a while. When we went to Manchester the weekend before Christmas, we were heartbroken to see how many homeless people were sleeping rough. We donated some change for the first person we saw, but soon realised that every ten steps, there was a homeless person and, we gelt so guilty that we couldn’t afford to donate anything else to the others.
One time she bought sandwiches for homeless people in Newcastle, and most recently, she bought some wooly accessories for a homeless lady. The generosity of my 18 year old sister really inspires me to do something too. She talked about great it would be to make care packages to hand out to people who are less fortunate than us but, as a university student, she has no means of finance to make this happen. She’s passionate about helping people and would use her student loan if she could.
It will take some time, but I would absolutely love to use Leetchi.com to raise funds to help her make this happen.
2. Random Act Of Kindness
This one is super easy. It doesn’t require any time at all and you can do it on a daily basis. Having said that, the last time I did this was ages ago, so I need to take a piece of my own advice here! But I treated my flatmates to some chocolate when I was living in a cold, grotty (it was kind of disgusting), overpriced flat in London with 7 other strangers. I had only crossed paths with only 3 of them in the whole time I was living there. We didn’t have a communal area so it difficult to connect with people.
They were all from different parts of the world, hundreds of miles from home and their family, and I know it’s a small gesture but I wanted to buy a little somethin’ somethin’ for these strangers. So I bought them treats. I only did this 3 times but I did it anonymously because I didn’t want anything in return. I just left the box of chocolate/biscuits/cakes on the kitchen work top and let them help themselves!
Other random acts of kindness could be could be as simple as paying for coffee for the person behind you in the queue, offer to make your colleagues a cup of tea, or give someone a genuine compliment!
3. Clean Your Friend’s Make-Up Brushes
To anyone who isn’t in to beauty and doesn’t have make-up brushes to clean (I envy you!) then this third tip might not seem like a big deal. But if someone told me that they had cleaned ALL my make-up brushes, I would probably cry! Ha, well, maybe I wouldn’t actually cry – but I would be hugely grateful. It would make my day, for sure! Honestly, cleaning make-up brushes is so tedious, I don’t think I will ever enjoy it.
4. Send Someone A Card. Just Because.
A card is not just for Christmas. Or birthdays. To be honest, I barely get them on birthday and Christmas since social media began. But how nice would it be to receive a lovely little card through the post unexpectedly, along with a handwritten note? I’ve received a few in the past and have kept them to look back on. It puts a spring in my step! If you want to go one step better, make time to write someone a handwritten letter! (lol, didn’t mean for that to rhyme!). I tell you, handwritten letters are magic. They have some sort of magical power.
Some great independent businesses to buy unique greeting cards from: Elsie & Nell (you will LOVE this shop), Ohh Deer (SO much choice, and it’s 3 For 2!) and Ethical Market (there are a couple of personalised options).
5. Create A January Jar Of Positive Quotes
It would be a really lovely thing to do for someone to create a sort of 30 day daily positive quotes jar. A bit like an advent calendar but instead of calendar and chocolates, it would be pieces of paper folded up tightly into a jar with a nice quote on each one. The idea is to unfold one each morning, read the quote before you head off to work, and enable you to start the day with a positive mindset, which really can make all the difference in the world! You can even decorate the jar. Cover it in glitter!
I love finding positive quotes on Pinterest and live by some of them! They’re positive, uplifting, and has a way of putting things in to perspective when you’re feeling a bit sad. You can grab some inspiration for this from my Quotes board on Pinterest!
6. Make Time For People
By Email. Letter. Text. Phone call. Facebook comment. In person. By any means possible. With all these ways of communications, modern life can still seem extremely isolating. Everyone is so busy and have their own issues in life to deal with. But make time to reach out to a friend in need, an old friend, a relative, an acquaintance, an elderly stranger, a homeless person. Ask them how they are.
7. Treat Someone To A Bundle of Books
It sounds really stupid but before I started volunteering at Oxfam, I forgot that charity shops sold books. But I’ve realised how much choice there is a charity shops and second hand books shops. Like, hundreds! With prices as low as 20p per book, you can definitely buy a huge bundle, gift wrap it, and give it to a friend. I think that makes such a thoughtful gift, and it’s a way to give to charity too!
8. Make A Beauty Box For Your BFF
Make someone feel special by creating a box of their favourite stuff. It doesn’t have to be beauty, it can be anything that reflects their interests, but beauty is totes my thing.
Getting a surprise parcel out of the blue is exciting and I feel very lucky to be sent things on a daily basis, it really is like Christmas! I like to pay this forward and have enjoyed making beauty gift boxes and goody bags for a couple of my friends. You can buy 4-5 decent sized pamper products for £20, especially from Boots when they’ve got their 3 For 2 offers on. Don’t forget to check out the in the Soap & Glory aisle *wink wink* 😉
What other special but simple ideas do you have to make someone’s day?
This post is sponsored by Leetchi.com. However, as you can tell, the content, words, and opinions are entirely my own (apart from the Clueless screenshot, of course. “Well, duh”). Leetchi.com is a transparent platform to create a secure money pot to kickstart a project, or to raise money for a happy, special, memorable moment. There are also ways to collect funds for non-profit communities and charities too.
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this is such a lovely post! These sorts of things really make someones day, I know they make me happy 🙂
http://www.georginadoes.co.uk
Aw this was such a lovely post, I really love the idea of sending a card!
Ella xx
http://www.inellaselement.co.uk
Cleaning someone's make-up brushes is a great idea! Just imagine if someone had done that for you! Amazing!
Jenn
x
This is such a lovely post. Helping someone out or doing something kind always makes me feel 100% better although I try to kind as much as possible 🙂 Love the card with the bras on too – so cute & funny!
Cyber Mermaids | Alternative beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog
These are lovely tips !
Sara
http://www.thecrimeofashion.com
I love the random acts of kindness concept, something I definitely need to do more of this year! xx
I found this post so sweet that I've shared it on both of my social media accounts.
Giving to the homeless is something that both my mum and I have done in the past. Plus I love your January Jar Of Positive Quotes idea.
Keep smiling and thank you for creating this wonderful post.
Tasmin ox
http://www.tasminstalk.blogspot.co.uk
These are such lovely ideas and now I'm definitely going to up my game when it comes to spreading the love and positivity, thanks for the inspiration!
http://taradaniella.com/