10 ways to be kind this week

By Imogen Rogers, Deputy Living Editor

This Tuesday the 15th of November marks National Kindness Day, which was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement. As students, our busy lives can often mean that remembering to be kind is an afterthought. I've come up with 10 easy ways to be kinder this week!

1. Phone a relative, whether that be a grandparent, sibling or a long-lost cousin they will love to hear your voice and have a catch up.
2. Be there for your friends, listen to what they have to say, give them a genuine compliment, offer a hug. Kindness is contagious!
3. Bake a cake for you housemates. Firstly, baking is a great stress reliever, and secondly who doesn’t like cake? Cheer up your friends and fill your house with the great smell of baking.
4. Give without expectation. Donate some money to a charity (this could be through a charity shop!), purchase some extra food during your lunchbreak to offer to someone homeless, or leave a positive review for a café or restaurant.
5. Be kind to yourself. Take a moment to relax and do something you enjoy. This could be painting your nails, reading a book, meditating or even heading to the gym.
6. Be polite. It sounds so obvious, but it is so easy to forget, or to overlook the simple things. Hold the door open for someone, thank your tutor after an interesting seminar, or give up your seat on the bus.
7. Care for the environment - recycle, pick up litter, turn the lights off when you leave the room and turn your heating down when its not too chilly.
8. Talk to someone new, a shy person in a lecture, the person behind you in a queue, a supermarket cashier - ask them how they are to brighten up their day. You may even make a new friend!
9. Plan to have one meat-free day a week. Although becoming vegetarian or vegan may not be suitable for everyone, going without meat for just one day of the week can still make a huge difference, and save you some money!
10. Attend the Humanitarian Fundraiser on the 15th November at the Attic Bar! Organised by the University of Bristol societies STAR, Jacari, Amnesty International, Oxfam and Friends of Palestine it will be an amazing night of live music and fundraising!

Featured image: Epigram / Imogen Rogers