{"id":2834,"date":"2025-01-24T11:25:57","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T11:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/?p=2834"},"modified":"2025-01-24T11:31:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T11:31:46","slug":"6-simple-ways-to-spread-joy-on-random-acts-of-kindness-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/2025\/01\/24\/6-simple-ways-to-spread-joy-on-random-acts-of-kindness-day\/","title":{"rendered":"6 ways to spread joy on Random Acts of Kindness Day"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Each year, Random Acts of Kindness Day gives us an opportunity to reflect. Whether that\u2019s focusing on what we\u2019re already doing, or what more we could do, it\u2019s an important day to spread positivity while inspiring others to do the same.<\/p>\n<p>We often see generous acts of kindness on social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube, from paying for someone\u2019s big food shop to gifting homes and brand-new vehicles. While it\u2019s impressive to see, it\u2019s not always realistic to emulate these grand gestures. But kindness costs nothing, and we\u2019ve got 6 simple ways for you to spread joy on Random Acts of Kindness Day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Offer words of encouragement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif\">Never underestimate the power of words. When paired with kindness and compassion, they have the ability to uplift, motivate, and empower someone who needs it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif\">Life as a uni student can be challenging, and when things like exams and deadlines approach, it\u2019s normal to feel the added pressure. But those feelings can often make us forget how much we\u2019ve achieved, and what a great job we\u2019re doing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif\">Think about offering some words of support and encouragement to someone you think could use it. It\u2019s probably just what they need to hear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pin.it\/3mYGKONsd\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2842 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/855b6daf72c2e26a848a050e64aa5317.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/855b6daf72c2e26a848a050e64aa5317.jpg 564w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/855b6daf72c2e26a848a050e64aa5317-300x296.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Check in with a loved one<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s really as simple as it sounds. We lead such busy lives that we can forget to slow down and take time to catch up with the people who mean the most to us.<\/p>\n<p>So, pick up the phone and give your friend a call. Did they enjoy their weekend trip away? How did that job interview go? Showing you care enough to take mental note of their life, all while managing your own busy schedule, will mean more than you might realise.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2896 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/patty-zavala-DAA6PTVYKz4-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"370\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/patty-zavala-DAA6PTVYKz4-unsplash.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/patty-zavala-DAA6PTVYKz4-unsplash-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/patty-zavala-DAA6PTVYKz4-unsplash-1024x757.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/patty-zavala-DAA6PTVYKz4-unsplash-768x568.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Volunteer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Have you ever considered volunteering your time to a local charity? As a student, it\u2019s a great way to develop your employability skills all while doing good within the community.<\/p>\n<p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tees.ac.uk\/depts\/studentfutures\/voluntees\/\">Volun-tees programme<\/a> helps students, recent graduates, and staff to engage in volunteering activities to help and inspire others, gain skills and experience or just have fun and meet new people. Whether you attend a \u2018Do Good, Feel Good\u2019 event, lead a fundraising campaign, or decide to volunteer on a long-term basis, you can start your volunteering experience at any stage.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2895 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/8194.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"275\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/8194.jpg 800w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/8194-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/8194-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Give a compliment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like someone\u2019s new hairstyle, or been swooning over the hoodie they\u2019re wearing? Tell them!<\/p>\n<p>The way we look is the least interesting thing about us, but it doesn\u2019t hurt to let someone know you think they look great. The entire interaction will probably last a matter of seconds, and you might even feel a bit awkward doing it, but it\u2019s a small price to pay to give someone a boost in confidence and put a spring in their step!<\/p>\n<p>More often than not, it\u2019s more than what meets the eye. It\u2019s the impact a person has on us that make for the best compliments. Remember to tell those people just how valued they are, and what they mean to you.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pin.it\/7B7SncqeV\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2852 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/You-Look-Fab-Mini-Mirror.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/You-Look-Fab-Mini-Mirror.jpg 735w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/You-Look-Fab-Mini-Mirror-300x288.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>5. Pay it forward<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t heard of the term, it\u2019s an expression used to describe doing something kind for someone because someone else has done the same for you. It\u2019s about creating a chain reaction of kindness.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s some simple ways to pay it forward:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Donate to a local food bank<\/li>\n<li>Pay for someone\u2019s coffee<\/li>\n<li>Help a course mate<\/li>\n<li>Donate blood<\/li>\n<li>Leave a positive review<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2894 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/clay-banks-tgquMvhNLc4-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/clay-banks-tgquMvhNLc4-unsplash.jpg 960w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/clay-banks-tgquMvhNLc4-unsplash-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/clay-banks-tgquMvhNLc4-unsplash-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/clay-banks-tgquMvhNLc4-unsplash-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>6. Be kind to yourself<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif\">If you do anything for Random Act of Kindness Day, let it be this. We can all be guilty of setting high standards for ourselves, and falling subject to self-criticism when things don\u2019t go exactly how we planned. But what if we showed the same compassion and forgiveness for ourselves in the same way we do for those we love?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif\">As humans, it\u2019s normal to make mistakes and experience setbacks, but it\u2019s important to go gentle on yourself when these things happen. If you experience feelings like this and feel you may benefit from speaking to someone about it, as a current student at Teesside University you can access our free and fully confidential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tees.ac.uk\/sections\/stud\/counselling.cfm\">counselling service<\/a>. You\u2019ll have a <span style=\"color: #333333;background: white\">safe and confidential space to explore your feelings or anything that\u2019s affecting you.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pin.it\/6wnTtS0mO\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2835 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/642a4573100827cb7ad5e1b74caaccf9.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/642a4573100827cb7ad5e1b74caaccf9.jpg 564w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/642a4573100827cb7ad5e1b74caaccf9-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/642a4573100827cb7ad5e1b74caaccf9-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 85vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2791 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/narelle.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"221\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/narelle.png 1200w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/narelle-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/narelle-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/narelle-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/narelle-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 221px) 85vw, 221px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Each year, Random Acts of Kindness Day gives us an opportunity to reflect. Whether that\u2019s focusing on what we\u2019re already doing, or what more we could do, it\u2019s an important day to spread positivity while inspiring others to do the same. We often see generous acts of kindness on social media platforms like TikTok and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/2025\/01\/24\/6-simple-ways-to-spread-joy-on-random-acts-of-kindness-day\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;6 ways to spread joy on Random Acts of Kindness Day&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25096,"featured_media":2846,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2024\/02\/Banner-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2834"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25096"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2834"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2900,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2834\/revisions\/2900"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}