01/10/2025
How to Be Extra Kind with Loved Ones
Even with people we know and love, acts of kindness don’t necessarily spring out of nowhere. It takes a conscious decision by us to be kind. Here are some tried and true ideas for how to be kind with those special people in our life.
-Surprise them with an unexpected visit or phone call.
-Give them a big hug.
-Express your empathy. Often the greatest gift we can someone else is the gift of empathy. This short video from Brené Brown does a great job of explaining the difference between sympathy and empathy – and why empathy is so amazing.
-Give them a handwritten card or letter.
-Babysit for free. To new parents especially, this can mean the world. I have done this several times for my neighbors after the toddler went to bed. I could stay there in case the child woke up, but almost always I simply read my book on the couch and let the parents have a well-deserved break to go get a glass of w**e.
-Write them a letter.
-Make them a meal. When my partner had surgery and I felt stretched very thin, the frozen meals that our loved ones had brought over made such a difference.
-Go visit your parents. Tell them how much you appreciate them (or at least one thing about them you appreciate).
-Treat them to their favorite coffee.
-Say ‘I love you’ with meaning.
-Tell them how wonderful they are and how happy you are to have them in your life.
Ask, “How can I help you?”
-Make them a cup of tea
-Listen to them carefully without interrupting
-Say, “I’m sorry.”
-Buy them a gift from the dollar store.
-Help with a household chore.
-Tell them you wish you understood.
-Bring them Ibruprofen for their headache.
-Invite them to play.
-Acknowledge and respect their feelings even if you feel they are not accurate / appropriate.
-Hold their hand.
-Buy them a small chocolate (but not if they’re on a diet. :-))
-Gently wash and dress their cut/wound.
-Tell them about the best part of the day you just spent with them.
-Let them sleep.
-Offer them a drink of water.
-Wear or use a gift they gave you in their presence.
-Keep that sigh to yourself.
-Use a kind voice even if you have to fake it.
-Listen for the feelings behind the words.
-Put chocolate chips in their pancakes.
-Visit a sick friend.
-Run them a bath.
-Give a new mom her own gift.
-Respect someone’s wishes.
-Write messages of love and put them in their lunches.
-Choose a book they might like and lend it to a friend.
-Take the garbage out for a friend.
-Hold them while they cry.
Give them a chocolate bandaid.
-Invite them over for scones and clotted cream.
-Send a copy of a photo to the person in it.
-Make someone else’s bed.
-Share your knowledge with someone who needs it.
-Share herbs from your garden.
-Share a good recipe.
