5 Acts of Kindness to Do for Yourself Daily

I begin writing with a smile on my face, such is the blessing of kindness. It’s a virtue above all. And, today we will learn five simple ways to bring it to life.

Acts of kindness are the sweetness in the morning tea, the ray of sunshine after a gray, cold day, and the warmth of a blanket on a chilly night.

Acts of kindness are not be taken lightly. One act of kindness holds infinite power. Remember how you felt when you worked long and hard on a project, and someone appreciated your work, your dedication, took notice of how you put your heart into it.

When someone wrote you a letter on your birthday, in addition to the gift. When someone remembered your favorite type of pasta and ordered it for you.

When someone listened to you, without judging, without making it about them, and was there just to know and understand you.

It's that gesture, that extra thought, that effort, that lets you know that you matter, that someone thinks of you, that someone values you. It's special, isn't it? We all deserve that.

We all deserve to receive acts of kindness not only from others but ourselves too. Acts of kindness from our own self should make our day. It would be so beautiful, wouldn’t it?

So, let’s learn about the five acts of kindness that we all should give ourselves every day:

1. Give yourself time in the morning
2. Eat food with focus
3. Appreciate all that goes well
4. Pay attention to yourself
5. Choose compassion

5 Acts of Kindness to Do for Yourself Daily

1. Give yourself time in the morning

The time after you wake up and before you start interacting with the world is very important. Although we are with ourselves at every moment of time, we rarely give ourselves time to be with ourselves.

Take out at least half an hour to just yourself. Do a mindful activity that you enjoy, whether it be affirmations, meditation, journaling, going on a walk, looking at the sky and trees, deep breathing, or whatever works for you.

This part of your day significantly determines the kind of energy you will have for the rest of it. I can help you start this with my free 21-day Self Love Course.

It will help you start your self-love journey by giving only 15 minutes of your time every day. And, I’ve heard my students say that morning has been the best time for them.

💡 Related: 110 Positive Morning Affirmations for an Incredible Day

2. Eat food with focus

Food is one of those few things that are absolutely necessary for our survival. We must eat it to live. It is so important, right? There’s nothing else without it. Then, why do we consume it so ungratefully, so mindlessly?

We eat without thinking of the countless who sleep hungry. We eat without appreciating the efforts of the one who made our meal, even if it is ourselves. We eat while thinking of work or worrying about something or talking continuously.

We eat without thinking of the energy that we are consuming it with. Food is our fuel. It deserves our focus.

And, I have experienced that when I eat while being grateful, savoring every bite, and consciously thinking positive thoughts, I feel quite blissful!

💡 Related: 5 Steps to Increase Your Self-Awareness

3. Appreciate all that goes well

When we don’t check ourselves, we lean towards complaining, glass half empty, what went wrong, etc. As an act of kindness let’s duly wholeheartedly appreciate all the little things that go well in our day. Just think about it.

We hold on so tightly to what goes wrong. It’s because we look over everything that went right. So, all that there’s left to see is those few things that didn’t go our way. It’s not to say that our sadness or disappointment is invalid, but that it’s not the only experience that we have.

There are good ones too. So, appreciate a fully-charged phone, money to support your life, a bed to sleep on, plates to fill with food, those moments when you laugh, when you do things right, clean clothes, clean water, there’s so much! Let’s open our eyes and hearts to all of it.

💡 Related: 40 Things to Be Grateful For Today

4. Pay attention to yourself

Another act of kindness is paying attention to yourself. When you’re with a friend you understand when they’re sad, need space, should take a break, try something new, and any number of things.

This stems from the fact that you care about them. You have to give yourself the same attention. Stay in tune with your body. Drink water regularly. Address your discomfort. Voice your opinions. Invest time in self-care. Give yourself what you need. And to know that, listen to yourself.

💡 Related: Here are 5 Guided Meditations for You

5. Choose compassion

Every day is different. It’s composed of moments that we like and don’t like in differing quantities. As it’s something that can’t be predicted, we are required to choose the approach to apply in the moments we don’t like.

There are generally two ways that we can step on, one of harshness and the other of compassion. Needless to say, we know which choice would be an act of kindness.

Here are some examples of you can choose compassion for yourself (these examples are from my free self-love course):

1. Instead of thinking, “I am a failure.” Think, “I never fail, only my attempts do. I will keep trying and improving.”
2. Instead of thinking, “Bad things will happen.” Think, “I have good feelings for each new experience I have.”
3. Instead of thinking, “Bad luck follows me everywhere.” Think, “I wish well for myself everywhere I go.”
4. Instead of thinking, “My life is full of drama.” Think, “I choose to let go of things that harm my peace.”
5. Instead of thinking, “I am not good enough.” Think, “I am doing what I can and that is enough.”
6. Instead of thinking, “Things go wrong when I feel excited about them.” Think, “Good thoughts don’t lead to negative consequences.”
7. Instead of thinking, “I don’t think I’ll be good at this.” Think, “I am excited about everything that I will learn!”

💡 Related: 100 Self-Love Affirmations

So, in the times when you would be cruel to yourself, choose to have the voice of a kind and forgiving soul. Learn what you should and move through life compassionately. You deserve it.

And, that’s it! These are the five acts of kindness to do for yourself daily. Let us all be kind, empathetic, compassionate, and mindful, and let’s begin with ourselves.

💡 Continue Reading: The Way to True Self-Acceptance

Aarushi Tewari

The writer and affirmations speaker at Gratitude, Aarushi believes that one of the most effective ways of feeling inner peace is by being grateful and having a loving self-relationship.