Call your best friend just to say you’re proud of them. Be specific about why.
Write a list of everything you love about yourself. If that’s too difficult, try coming up with things you wouldn’t change about yourself instead. (You may find what you wouldn’t change is what you actually love.)
Take your dog on an extra walk just because it makes him happy.
Plan a huge friends’ trip because you’re still young enough to do so but also because you’re all only getting older, too.
Stop assuming you know what’s best for someone else. Learn to keep unsolicited advice to yourself. Sometimes, the most helpful thing you can do for someone else is to simply hold space for them (not try and take their problems away).
Joke with the grocery store cashier.
Hold the door for strangers.
Sing in the car.
Look out the window with your dog.
Write a letter to your 17-year-old self. Tell them what you’ve accomplished, what you overcame, what you’re doing with your life. Most importantly, remind them that you end up okay.
Plan a staycation. Learn to see where you live with a new appreciation.
Construct homemade birthday cards for the people in your life instead of just buying some at Target.
Look at exercise as a celebration of what your body can do (not what it can look like).
Make playlists for your friends of songs you think they’d love. It’s the modern day way to burn someone a CD. (Cover art optional but encouraged.)
Go the extra mile whenever you can. Effort and care matters.
Ask more questions. Actually listen to the answers.
Tell people you appreciate them when you notice you’re appreciating them. Don’t assume you’ll always have the chance.
Highlight the lines in books that you love. Return to those passages when you need to feel inspired.
Remind someone that they are doing enough when they’re feeling less-than. (That someone can be you, too.)
Compliment a stranger’s outfit.
Heal what needs healing.
Tell a loved one your favorite thing about them—and be as specific or detailed about it as you can.
Treat your parents to dinner.
If you don’t have a close relationship with you parents, plan a homemade dinner with your chosen family instead.
Invest in a cause you care deeply about, be it through a monetary donation or through volunteering your time on the weekends.
Buy yourself flowers.
Make homemade pasta from scratch. Find joy in the process of creating, not just the outcome.
Spend a Saturday afternoon with yourself doing all of your favorite things.
Text your friends to make sure they got home safe.
Create your own traditions.
Create a self-care ritual you can look forward to, whether it’s daily, weekly, or even monthly.
Forgive yourself.
Decorate your home with things you adore, not just trendy items you think would look good on Pinterest.
Call your grandparents.
Learn to apologize well.
Write poetry. Even if you’d never share it anywhere. Even if you think it’s really, really, really bad. The world always needs more art.
Be the photo-taking friend. Capture candid moments when your friends are looking genuinely happy. Be the outfit documenter. Commit to finding someone’s best angles, even if you look a little silly doing so.
Make time for play.
Be curious. About others. About the world. About ideas. About science. Explore that curiosity.
Learn a new language.
Dance.
If someone you know is going through a difficult time, tell them that you’re there for them. And then show up in whatever way they need.
Become a mentor.
Focus on what you can control. Let go of what you can’t control.
Find ways to incorporate more slowness throughout your day. Make your bed. Turn your morning coffee into a mindfulness ritual. Go on a walk without your phone.
Spend time with your friends’ kids.
Practice gratitude.
Plant a garden.
Buy a few bottles of champagne and label them with personal milestones. For example, being able to rent your own apartment, getting a dog, landing the promotion. Leave the bottles chilling in the fridge and open ’em up as you reach each goal.
Get a few small, single-serve bottles of champagne and label them with smaller accomplishments. The little things deserve their moments, too.
Be daringly honest with yourself about what you actually want out of your life. Even if those things would sound bizarre or flawed to someone else. It doesn’t matter. It’s your life, not theirs. Once you determine what you want, start working for it.
