10 Ways to Give to a Friend So You Both Feel happy
10 Ways to Give to a Friend
Have you ever had a moment where you have a friend that you know needs a little TLC. Are they are going through a rough patch in their life? You’re not quite sure what you can do and how to make that person feel better, but you know as a friend you want to do something. Most of us have all been there at one point or another, I’m sure. Sometimes, we feel helpless, but there are so many different gives we can make to help a friend in need, or bring a little sunshine to a friend. Here are some ideas, but there are many more!
Send a Positive Message Through a Text
Most of us like to receive a positive, upbeat text from someone we care about, especially when we are having a bad day. I have a friend of mine who always somehow knows when I need a positive message for the day. She will send me a positive quote or an uplifting message simply to make me smile and makes me feel awesome and like I can handle this day ahead of me. I need to hold my head up high and dig through the day…I got this! All because of one small message, that really changes my outlook on the day.
Make a Dinner Dish and Drop it Off
Have you ever had one of those days where you just REALLY don’t feel like cooking, or you’ve had surgery or thinks are just feeling like they’re too much to handle? I have been there and I have had friends that have been there. Not so long ago one of my friends was diagnosed with an illness and she was very depressed and unhappy. She has 3 children and a husband, but I knew that she’d had a rough day and didn’t think she would want to be cooking that night. I sent her a message and told her not to cook anything, because I was making her and her family dinner. At first, she hesitated and I told her to just say thank you and not hesitate with my offering to help. I took her dinner that night and you would’ve thought that I’d given her a million bucks. She was thrilled! It only took me about half an hour of my evening. Totally worth it to see the smile on her face!
Go for a Walk
One of the best stress relievers after a hard day, is going for a walk and getting outside. If a friend has had a rough day and you have a little time to spare in your evening, ask your friend to meet you somewhere and go for a walk. Use this time to get outside, have a conversation, and make each other laugh. Laughter, after all, is the best medicine. Go to a park, sit on a park bench for a bit, and just enjoy what mother nature has provided to you. It clears the mind, it puts us in a different space, and makes us feel a little more relaxed, plus you are getting the exercise in your day that you may not otherwise have received. Breathe in the fresh air, feel it transform your soul and ask your friend to do the same.
Go Shopping
Do you know of many people that don’t like shopping? Shopping can be therapeutic and can help people feel better about themselves. Shopping can make a person feel empowered, happy, like they are on top of the world, especially if someone hasn’t gone shopping for themselves in a long time. Call up that friend that could use some happiness and take them shopping. Help them to pick an outfit or buy new shoes and a new purse, or a new jacket, whatever that person feels they could use. It will make that person feel good about themselves and it will make you feel good too for helping your friend make a difference in their lives, and feel empowered and happy!
Offer to Go to an Appointment with Your Friend
If your friend mentions that he or she has a doctor’s appointment or another important appointment that is affecting their focus, and maybe they’re worried about it or even distraught somehow about the appointment, offer to be the driver and tag along. Your moral support will mean the world to your friend, and they don’t even need to know that you are there because you know they are upset about the appointment but rather you could just say that you don’t have much going on that day and would like to go with your friend. Afterwards, maybe go and have lunch or coffee and dessert. A great way to end an otherwise stressful day!
Take a Drive for the Day to Wherever
Call your friend and say: “Lets go!” Go on a roadtrip – you may have a destination in mind and you may not. Pick up your friend at home and drive. It’s called being free and having the freedom to go wherever you feel like going. Do whatever will make you and your friend happy. Stop at a little shop on the side of the road that sells antiques, or a general store or stop and take photos of abandoned barns, go to a conservation area and enjoy the nature trails or take a swim. There are so many things you can find when you just drive and don’t have a care in the world.
Celebrate a Milestone or an Achievement
We all like to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary, but what about celebrating something that normally wouldn’t be celebrated? For example, if your friend has been trying to lose weight and has lost say 10 pounds since starting on the journey, that is something big to celebrate. Go out and have a drink to celebrate that achievement. Losing weight is not easy and every little bit lost is a huge success. It will encourage your friend to continue working towards his or her goal. So, why not make that person feel good by celebrating the successes along the way?
Cut Your Friend’s Grass or Clean Your Friend’s House
If your friend has been having a bad day or a bad week and really seems down in the dumps, offer to clean his or her house for them. I don’t mean cleaning everything, but maybe mopping floors, cleaning the bathroom, washing the dishes, doing some laundry or perhaps some gardening, like cutting the grass, or pulling weeds. Sometimes, we don’t have the energy or the ambition to do this work, especially if we are going through a rough patch in life. We all need a helping hand every now and then.
Listen Rather than Talk
Sometimes all a friend needs is a shoulder to cry on. Friends don’t always need someone to tell them what to do or give them advice, but rather sit down and just listen to their woes. If your friend asks for advice, or some form of direction then by all means provide it to them, otherwise, just allow your friend to talk and cry or laugh or do whatever he or she needs to do in that moment. This can often be worth so much more than any material items for someone who needs a friend to listen.
Pick up Groceries For your Friend
If you are going grocery shopping, call up a friend who could use some help and ask if you can pick up some of the items on their shopping list for them. This can save so much time and energy sometimes, more than you will know. Grocery shopping can be a real challenge for some people. It requires going to the grocery and then having to really think about what it is that is needed in the house, sometimes it can be too much thinking needed if someone is already going through hard times and doesn’t need additional brain work in the moment. So, why not just call up your friend and ask what they need from the grocery store?
There are so many ways that we can give back to a friend. Sometimes even a friend who doesn’t state they need help, really could use help. People don’t always reach out for help and ask for it, but as a friend we should always be willing and able to go the extra mile and do a little something for him or her. It never hurts to give back in any little way. It doesn’t take too much. And it can be the world of difference for someone who is having a tough time getting through the day, week or just life in general. We all fall on hard times, so when we give without wanting anything in return, that makes a world of difference in our own lives.
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