For National Day of Encouragement on September 12th, we wanted to inspire you with 5 easy ways you can show your friends some extra love!

Think of a time when a friend went out of their way to treat you to a nice meal, brought you a special gift back from a trip or called just to say they loved you. You felt great, right? The love and support we receive help us feel confident and secure in the world.

Let’s give some of that good juju to someone else today. You never know when your affection might come at just the right time for someone. We have some fun ideas here to get your love flowing. Also encouraging them in the ways we have come up with could help literally change their lives and allow them to step into the most inspired versions of themselves.

In a culture where we are surrounded by hungry thought forms that encourage self-centred living, it’s easy not to spend time thinking of others and yet it improves both the mental and physical health of others when we reach out and show love as well as our own health. Just think, the depression, obesity, addiction and anxiety in our world can diminish as we do these simple, fun, free or low-cost actions…

1. Be Their Dream Accountability Partner

This is a no-cost to show your friends love that makes a huge impact on their lives and deepens your bond with them. I’ve had friends show me love by asking me what my goals are and how they can support me in pursuing them. They offer ideas and ask what I’m doing to step towards the goals with lots of encouragement. Then they check back in weekly to see how it’s going.

It really makes a big difference when someone shows they believe in you. I started doing this for my friends and it became one of my absolute favourite things to do on a weekly (or even daily) basis because you can help your friends transform into the person they want to be.

2. Learn a New Recipe & Make it For Them

This can be a low-cost way to show love to someone that will make them feel taken care of and nourished on many levels. Do you have any friends that don’t have someone who cooks for them, or do you know someone that is always cooking for others and deserves a special treat? If you know someone with allergies or special diets, it can mean a lot to them to figure out how to make something they can eat that they haven’t tried before! This is a gesture they won’t forget.

3. Meet For Coffee or Tea To Hear What’s Going On

Here is another inexpensive way to be there to listen and just check in with what’s going on with your friends. Go out to a cafe you both like, or prepare a big pot of tea in the comfort of your own home.

Often, people don’t want to burden others when they go through something very challenging and they end up going through it alone. It helps to talk things through and giving your friends a safe space to laugh, vent, or cry can help their healing process. Think about the love you feel when someone does something as simple as showing interest in your day to day life. Pass that feeling on to those you love! Listening is a gift that many people don’t experience often enough these days with how much time we spend on social media. Who can you call and invite to grab coffee today?

4. Talk About Their Strengths

Doing this can shift someone from negative to positive in one short conversation. There are many people who grew up with critical parents or teachers and they struggle to focus on the things they are good at as a result. Pointing out how thoughtful a friend is, how sharp their sense of humour is, how talented they are in the kitchen, or how creative their mind is can start to re-train someone’s mind to learn to love themselves. This really builds a lot of positive energy. Giving someone a genuine compliment is a communication habit that builds strong, healthy bonds between people. Plus, you get to practice your gratitude and complimenting skills!

5. Invite Them To Do Something Creative or in Nature

Inviting a friend to do something off the beaten path can re-awaken their creativity and help them find solutions to things in their life just by getting a new perspective. Painting together in the yard, attending a meditation class, finding a new place to go hiking, or just relaxing in a park are all great ways to help a friend de-stress and de-clutter their mind so they can connect to their own inner guidance. Helping someone find their own inner wisdom is a greater gift than giving advice. You can offer this to friends who live far away too with Facetime or even a loving email.

Concluding Thoughts…

Giving extra love improves the lives of others. Connecting with a community or a healthy social network of people who are supportive and loving boosts our immune system, lowers our stress, and reduces long-term health complications because we can look out for each other instead of feeling isolated.

The love we give comes back to us three-fold. When we become a beacon of hope and positivity in the world, the world reflects that same energy back to us. Living for others creates a more loving planet and it allows us to live in heaven on earth. When we hold light within us and not fear, we are able to show other people the light and heart within themselves to make them feel safe and trust their spirit.