From baking for a neighbour to sending flowers to a friend; small acts of kindness mean more than you may think. Research shows that helping others can be beneficial to our own mental health too. It can reduce stress, improve our emotional wellbeing and even benefit our physical health.

We can all help reduce loneliness and isolation for older people simply by connecting communities with kindness.

Here are 10 everyday acts of kindness that we can easily do to make the world a brighter place:

1. Call a friend who you haven’t spoken to for a while, have a chat and ask how they are.
2. Get out in your local community and do some litter picking, picking up some rubbish you may see lying around in the street.
3. You might not be able to stop and talk when out on a walk, but giving someone a smile can make a huge difference to someone’s day.
4. Next time you are doing your weekly shop, pick up some extra cans or items to donate to your local food bank. 
5. If you’ve enjoyed a good book recently, why not share it with a neighbour or a friend who you think may also like it.
6. If you pop into a coffee shop for a drink, why not pay ahead and ask to pay for a coffee for them to give to someone later that day for free.
7. Explore Just Givingand donate to someone’s fund – it could be £1 or £10, whatever you decide.
8. Reach out to spend time with a friend, family member or neighbour who you know is experiencing loneliness or struggling.
9. Offer to cook for a friend or family member – there are some amazing recipes on BBC Good Food.
10. Make a difference in your environment and plant bee-friendly seeds or leave bird food out for our winged friends.

Did you also know that kindness is contagious? A study from Stanford University found that the positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to “pay it forward.” This means one good deed in a crowded area can create a domino effect and improve the day of many more!

We would love to hear about any kind deeds you have either done or received on Cleva’s social media channel.