Happiness activity No. 4 Practicing Acts of Kindness

 

If you decide to become a more generous, compassionate, and giving person, you will know what you should do. If you do too little, you won’t obtain much benefit in happiness. If you do too much, you may end up feeling overburdened, angry, or fatigued.

Pick one day per week, and on that day (and on no others) commit one new and special large act of kindness or, alternatively, three to five little ones. Be inventive, vary, mix up what you do. If you’re short of money or other resources, give the gift of time, surprise someone—with a home-cooked meal, a gift, a letter, or a phone call, etc. Remember: unless the situation is critical, don’t help those who don’t want your help.

Learn more here.

 

 

 

Exercise: do this for 6 weeks

 

Acts of kindness may include feeding a stranger’s parking meter, donating blood, helping a friend, visiting an elderly relative, or writing a thank-you letter.

Over the next week, you are to perform five acts of kindness. The acts do not need to be for the same person, the person may or may not be aware of the act, and the act may or may not be similar to the acts listed above. Do not perform any acts that may place yourself or others in danger.

Every Sunday night write a brief “kindness reports” - described the acts of kindness you had done each week, to whom, and when.

 

Measure your Oxford Happiness Index before you start and after you complete the exercise.