If you've ever crammed into a packed, sweaty subway car on a sweltering July morning, you know that a hot morning commute can set the tone for your whole day.
Multiple studies have shown strong correlations between heat and aggression. And sometimes this aggression can be wrongfully taken out on coworkers.
Whether you walk, drive, use public transportation, or work from home, there are myriad tiny ways the heat can affect your mood - and your work.
But there's no reason you can't beat the heat and keep your cool at work!
How, you ask?
Great question! Each time you're feeling a little on edge because you're too sweaty to think straight, imagine that your coworkers/friends/family might be feeling just as exhausted and overwhelmed... think of all the things those people could do to make your day better, and then do it for them instead!
It's about seeing the good in each day, and actively looking for ways you can improve others' days as well.
We're halfway through our monthly challenges for 2019, and this month, we're challenging you to bring positivity to your office/work environment with daily acts of kindness. Below I've shared some ideas you can try out at the office or at home.
Daily Acts of Kindness Challenge - Ideas to Get You Started
- Buy a coworker lunch
- Give a compliment (stick to choices people have made or work they've done)
- Hold the door open
- Bring in coffee/breakfast to share
- Ask a coworker who's new to grab lunch
- Say hi in the hallway
- Donate to a friend's fundraiser/charity
- Watch someone's child for free
- Leave your waiter an extra generous tip
- Pay for someone's bus/metro fare if they've forgotten their card
- Help a coworker solve a problem
- Bring your neighbor's paper to their front door
- Make a meal for someone who could use some support
- Write a handwritten thank you to someone who's helped you in the past
- Give out cold water/gatorade to folks working outdoors (maybe your mail person, garbage collectors, or anyone you've hired to work on your yard)
- Volunteer
- Call an elderly relative you haven't spoken to in a while
- Share an article or post that's made you smile with someone else who might appreciate it
- Keep an extra umbrella at your desk at work so you can lend it when it rains
- Tell a coworker when they're doing well at work (this includes your peers, bosses, and those 'below' you)
- When you get good service, write a nice review or share what they did with their boss
- Text family/friends you know are going through a tough time to check in
- Post sticky notes at home/work with positive phrases
- Smile!! Sometimes the littlest things make all the difference
So get out there, and look for a way to make someone else's day, every day.
(No need to come up with a fresh idea for each day, just do something kind for someone else every day.)
If you're competitive, enlist a friend who you can text at the end of each day to ask what they did. The friend who's completed the most acts of kindness by the end of the month wins bragging rights - and the opportunity to complete one last act of kindness by taking their losing friend out for a conciliatory dinner.
Jot down what you do each day and be sure to let us know what other great ideas you come up with!
