Ready to spread the love? Let’s gather some supplies:
Journal or paper
Pens and papers for writing notes
Gift-making materials (these are just a few ideas):
Cardboard jewelry boxes or small bags
Stones
Colored tapes & ribbons
Little trinkets—shells, miniature animals, feathers, etc.
Self-hardening clay for making your own little trinkets (clay recipe here!)
Pom pom balls and googly eyes (or markers to draw your own eyes) for making little pom pom pals
You’ve probably heard this plenty of times: It is better to give than to receive.
But did you know that it actually is better for you? Researchers have found that lifting someone else up can be the very best medicine for when you’re feeling down.
When you reach out to another person—with kindness, with a gift, or just with your smile—your feelings of happiness, connection, and calm increase. And, by thinking of someone else, you get to take your mind off your own worries for awhile.
We all have wisdom inside us, and that wisdom is one gift that we can share with others. So, before writing our notes that will go along with our gifts, let’s think about some words that might be inspiring to others.
Start by writing down in your journal or on a piece of paper: “What I know:”
Under those words, write down some things you have learned in your years as a human. What have you found to be helpful to remember on days when you’re having a hard time? What words or activities bring you up when you’re feeling down?
Give yourself about five minutes to write whatever comes to mind.
Now, using your writing as inspiration, create some tiny notes that you can include with your gifts, or you can write your words on stones.
Decide what else you want to add to your gifts. Drawings? Trinkets? A flower or pretty leaf from outside?
Okay, ready to spread the love?
Walk around your neighborhood looking for places to leave your gifts and stones. Maybe your gifts will stay there for awhile, or maybe they will disappear—which is okay too. That just means your words were especially comforting to whoever took them home.
While you’re on your feet, how about giving peaceful walking a try?
First, choose a place to walk where you won’t be disturbed — this can be around your yard if you have one, or around your home. Decide if you are going to walk in a circle, or if you are going to walk along a path and back.
Standing in a comfortable position, take a few slow, deep breaths.
When you feel completely relaxed, gently rock your body side to side, then back and forth, until you find the place where you feel most balanced.
Now begin your walk, taking very slow steps and paying attention to every sensation you feel — in your heels, in your toes, in your legs and body.
When you feel finished with your peaceful walk, come back to your standing position and take a few slow, deep breaths.
If you liked the way that felt, try it again sometime. It can really help you to feel calm, especially when your heart is racing or your mind is spinning.
Want to add photos of your gifts or stones to our gallery? Great! And bonus points if you share photos of where you put them.
