Give

Give

The findings of research show that people who give their time and energy to other people seem to have higher levels of wellbeing and happiness. This doesn't mean giving money. The greatest gift of all is our time. 'Giving' means getting involved, such as by volunteering, helping a neighbour; as well as the smaller things like doing something nice, saying thank you, smiling. Feelings of happiness and life satisfaction have been strongly associated with active participation in social and community life.

Giving compliments

Complimenting and praising people is a good way to build relationships and experience your own positive feelings. Try to be spontaneous so it does not look too planned. When complimenting be specific for example 'that was a good speech, I liked the way you used humour'. The key to giving compliments is don't go over the top because people can feel embarrassed.

A gift of time

Going beyond our normal activities and giving someone the greatest gift of all- our time. It may be just an hours or the whole day. This can be delivering library books to an elderly neighbour or fostering cats for a local animal charity.

Doing something nice for a friend or a stranger, like opening the door for a stranger.