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Healthy acts of kindness are proven to reduce stress, provide you with a sense of purpose, and teach you how to live selflessly. The more you give OF yourself, the more you receive, rather than when you are constantly focused on what's in it for YOU. You are often rewarded in unexpected ways, or end up having the favor returned. The simple joy in knowing you helped bring a smile to someone else's face brings just as much motivation and happiness in your own life. In other words, "I am stress free when others are blessed by me!"

Here are some tips to reap the benefits of performing healthy acts of kindness:

1. Start with the basics. Since we spend most of our time among the general public - in traffic, at the office, in a store, or at school - the adage "do unto others as you would have done to you" couldn't be more appropriate. There are things you can do each day if you keep your eyes open to the opportunities that surround you.

Smile or wave to your neighbors, say hello to strangers walking alongside you or in an elevator, hold the door open for the person behind you, or offer to help a pregnant woman carry her grocery bags to her car.

2. Improve your neighborhood. Whether you enjoy gardening, mowing, raking, babysitting, pet-sitting, dog-walking, or cooking, those hobbies and more can be easily used to benefit the area around your home and help you get to know your neighbors.

Volunteer your time to babysit the family across the street so the parents can get a break, help plant a community garden where everyone can share produce, bake cookies for the new neighbors next door, and leave a special gift for your mail carrier during the holidays.

3. Keep in touch. Family and friends from your social circle through your place of worship, school, work, and special-interest activities are important to you for various reasons - don't let them forget that!

Brighten their day through regular phone calls, visits, cards in the mail, or by hosting get-togethers at your home. When you see them, greet them fondly, and listen to what they have to say, rather than jumping in with your own conversation first. Not only will you learn more about them that way, but your relationship with them will improve and they will want to be around you even more.

4. Civic duties and community activities. A more formal way of helping would be in donating your time, money, or goods for a cause. This can be an organization, a location, or specific people. Your place of worship or your local community are places were you can find out about participating in such causes.

Sign up for a blood drive, donate books to your library's book sale, fill up a shoe box of Christmas gifts for a child in need, participate in a breast cancer walk/run, visit shut-ins or the elderly at their homes or nursing homes, or serve food in a soup kitchen during the holidays.

Through healthy acts of kindness, you will be able to beat the blues and accomplish your own life goals. Going the extra mile for others will improve your outlook on life, helping you reach heights you never dreamed possible before. There is no time like the present to begin; so start today!

Learn more about this author, Natasha L. Kohlhoff Polak.
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