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Compassion has two components: one being self-love and second, compassion for others.  Self-Compassion arises when we no longer feel insecure about ourselves: when we love, accept, and respect ourselves no matter what. Compassion for others, arises when we feel and think the desire to help others.

Studies has shown that when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the “bonding hormone” called oxytocin ; and regions of the brain linked to empathy, caregiving, and feelings of pleasure light up/activate, resulting in our wanting to approach and care for other people. Simultaneously, our stress hormones are greatly reduced. When we are in the state of pleasure and reduced stress, we feel joy, confident, focused, fulfilled, and gain clarity.

When you are loving, kind, and caring towards others, you will learn to love, respect, and accept your authentic self.   It is then safe to say that if we lack compassion for others, then we lack compassion for ourselves.

Life itself has its own rules. Many refer to these rules of life as ‘Karma’. These rules (Karma) work with the law of nature. And the Law of Karma states: “For every action taken in life, there is a reaction given.”  In order words, to receive help, care, happiness, peace, love, and friendship, one must BE happy, peaceful, loving, helpful, caring, and a true friend.

Here are some quick ways to be compassionate with our words :

• “ I’m sorry this happened to you.”
• “How can I help?”
• “Are you Okay?”
• “Tell me what I can do.”
• “ I want to help.”
• “ It will be okay.”
• “ I will help you through this.”
• “ I care about you.”
• “ It will get better.”
• “ I understand what you are going through.”

Here are some quick ways to be compassionate with our actions:

• Listening, paying attention, giving financial support,
• hugging, giving time, giving emotional support, empathizing.

Below is a list of 200 ways to practice Compassion. Please, look through the list and see what ways you could make a difference for yourself, your family, your community, and the world you live in. 

200+ Random Acts of Kindess

• Put change in a vending machine.
• Hold the door open for someone.
• Do a chore for someone without them knowing.
• Return someone’s cart at the store.
• Give candy to your bank teller.
• Leave a letterin a library book.
• Feed the birds.
• Leave happy notesaround town.
• Put a small bin in your car to collect recycling.
• Call your grandparents and ask them about their childhood.
• Pick up litter.
• Let someone go ahead of you in line.
• Compliment a friend.
• Wash someone’s car.
• Write a thank you note for your mail carrier.
• Plant something.
• Bake dessert for a neighbor
• Walk dogs at the animal shelter.
• Check in on an elderly neighbor.
• Set up a lemonade stand and donate the profits.
• Send a cardto a service member.
• Bury treasure at the playground.
• Set the table for dinner.
• Leave bubbles on someone’s doorstep.
• Put money on a stranger’s layaway bill.
• Tell someone why they are special to you.
• Donate outgrown clothes.
• Buy a coffee for a stranger.
• Pass out stickers to kids waiting in line.
• Talk to someone new at school.
• Write chalk messageson the sidewalk.
• Weed or shovel for a neighbor.
• Donate food to the food pantry.
• Bring flowers to your teacher.
• Tell a manager how good your service was.
• Tape change to a parking meter.
• Donate socks and supplies to the homeless shelter.
• Give a lottery ticket to a stranger.
• Call a friend you haven’t seen in a while to say hello.
• Tape money for the ice cream truck to a friend’s front door.
• Take treats to the fire station.
• Read a book to someone.
• Leave heads up pennieson the sidewalk.
• Donate a book to a doctor’s office waiting room.
• Tell someone how much you love them.
• Say hello to everyone you see.
• Make someone else’s bed.
• Hold the door open for someone.
• Wave at kids on school buses.
• Sing songs at a nursing home.
• Invite someone to play on the playground.
• Tell the principal how great your teacher is.
• Donate a toy to Toys for Tots.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
• Say thank you when you see service members.
• Fill a kindness jarwith candy for another family.
• Make a thank you signfor sanitation workers.
• Make a busy bag for a family with young children.
• Bring cookies to the custodian.
• Help make dinner.
• Donate new pajamas for foster kids.
• Make a get-well card for someone.
• Bring your neighbors’ garbage cans up for them.
• Take care of someone’s pet while they’re away.
• Leave a popcorn surpriseon a DVD rental machine.
• Share a special toy with a friend.
• Clean up your room without being asked.
• Tape a video message for faraway friends.
• Leave kindness stonesat the park.
• Give a candy bar to the bus driver.
• Send dessert to another family at a restaurant.
• Give spare change to the food pantry.
• Buy extra school supplies for a teacher.
• Make muffins for your pharmacist.
• Teach someone something new.
• Reuse paper when you are drawing.
• Pay for someone’s toll.
• Give someone a hug coupon.
• Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
• Write a note for someone’s lunch.
• Collect money or items for your favorite charity.
• Donate coloring books and crayons to the children’s hospital.
• Write a poem for a friend.
• Ask for donations instead of birthday gifts.
• Help someone unload groceries at the store.
• Make a candy gramfor the police department.
• Collect books for the library.
• Adopt an animal online.
• Decorate tissue boxes and hand sanitizer for nursing stations.
• Make a homemade gift for someone.
• Clean up your toys without being asked.
• Deliver water bottles to the homeless shelter.
• Create activity bags for families of deployed soldiers.
• Give high fives to a friend.
• Make a thank you card for your librarian.
• Dry the slides at the park with a towel after it rains.
• Make play doughfor a preschool class.
• Send a postcard to a friend.
• Smile at everybody. It’s contagious.
• Befriend the lonely person
• Compliment a stranger
• Sing Christmas Carols at a nursing home – Then have everyone over to your house after for cookies and cocoa
• Adopt an animal from the pound
• Donate your talents
• Send paper thank you notes
• Pay for the coffee, the toll, or the bus fare for the person behind you
• Let the person who seems rushed cut in front of you
• Hold your tongue – Pause before speaking or writing when you are mad, agitated or doubtful
• Be empathetic – Really tryto put yourself in the other person’s shoes
• Be thoughtful – Did your co-worker have a bad day today? Bring her a coffee tomorrow morning.
• Hold the door open for someone
• Give your boxes to someone who is moving
• Be thankful
• Be encouraging
• Let people merge-in during traffic
• Help people move
• Say “Thank you”, a lot – Everyone works hard. Thanks are especially important to the postal worker, the government employee, the DMW clerk, the bus driver, the grocery store cashiers (especially when you bring up all that produce and they have to look-up every single code) and baggers
• Call your parents and tell them you love them
• Don’t be annoying – Make a conscious effort to avoid doing the things you know annoy your spouse (or roommates)
• Send your friend a letter
• Volunteer at a department of corrections or juvenile hall
• Spread your skills – If you have a skill (photography, outfit styling, cooking, website programming, etc.) and you know someone who has expressed an interest in what you do offer to teacher them what you know
• Give freely – Go through your things and give freely to those in need
• Have a shirt that your friend always compliments you on? Why not give it to her?
• Offer to get groceries for your friend or relative who has a broken leg or other mobility problem
• Make extra copies of photos and send them to the people who are in the images
• Call everyone you know and tell them you love them
• Give warm clothes, shoes, and boots to the homeless
• Connect people to each other
• Walk the cart back to the front of the store
• Reach out to a person who has made a difference in your life
• Send a care package to a solider
• Listen when no one else wants to
• Be patient
• Try to find goodness in the person you don’t like
• Know someone who just had a baby or another major life event? – Bring a meal, offer to clean up their house or do a load of laundry for them.
• Do you know that your partner hates doing the dishes but you don’t really mind doing them? Do them.
• Be kind to yourself – Make peace with your past mistakes. Use that knowledge to help others who might be going through the same thing.
• Be someone’s cheerleader
• Already sweeping leaves or shoveling the snow off your sidewalk? – Do your neighbors sidewalk too.
• Do nice things and don’t tell anyone about it
• (Along the same lines as #51) Compliment people in front of others – For some reason compliments hold more weight when they’re done in front of others.
• Bring donuts or other delicious sweets to work
• Give chocolate generously and often
• Bake a cake for the birthday person
• Don’t complain
• Be the eternal optimist of the group
• Recognize the good in others
• Look for the best in the situation
• Leave nice comments on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook
• Smile easily and laugh – Even at the so-so jokes
• Share – Even if you don’t really want to
• Let someone else have your seat on the crowded bus, light-rail or subway
• Do the task no one else wants to do
• Create a happy book – Gather all your good memories and thoughts into 1 spot
• Don’t leave others waiting for you – Be on time
• Tell your partner what a good hair/butt day they’re having
• Smile at people
• Offer a ride to someone who is car-less
• Help that stressed parent by offering to babysit
• Donate your old car and clothes to charities
• Buy the stuff the neighbor kid is selling
• Stop at the neighbor kid’s lemonade stand and make a purchase
• Avoid gossip – No need to spread any negativity
• Give the painter, electrician, or handyman a glass of water or offer them a pop
• Be understanding – Assume the best in others. If someone is running late or has called in sick don’t assume they’re trying to get out of something.
• Go to your friend’s art opening
• Be inviting – Ask people to do something with you
• Hang out with the person who just moved to town
• Drop quarters on the sidewalk for people to find
• Leave a whole bunch of pennies heads-up for kids to find on the sidewalk or other public places – Kids love finding heads-up pennies
• Pack extra snacks and offer them to your or friends
• Compliment people on their homes
• Forgive the person you used to hate back in the day
• Make amends for the wrongs you have done
• Let someone else have their way without putting up a fight about it
• Participate –The people who organize events always worry that no one will take part. That ugly sweater contest or bake-off needsyou!
• Send a surprise book to someone from an online retailer
• Don’t let your friends be alone on the holidays
• Listen to someone’s life story – Yes, the wholething
• Be friendly on public transportation
• Keep your bad attitude to yourself
• Decorate for the holidays
• Be happy for others
• Be super enthusiastic when people have good news!
• Mind your own business
• Selflessly help others
• Help people out who might be feeling awkward
• Generously give your knowledge
• Spread the goodness – Let others know you are on a mission to spread kindness and they will be inspired to do the same