It’s Cheer Up The Lonely Day! And what a great opportunity to have a day dedicated to just making someone feel good.

The task of making someone smile or happy can be daunting. One factor is we could never know what makes a person smile. Sometimes, we think of something too grand that we end up spending too much yet our efforts get unappreciated. People also have different tastes with things. Others love surprises while others don’t; others like random gifts given by strangers, others just throw them away when you’re out of sight. Really, it matters what floats their boats.

Another factor is the hesitation to even try to make a person smile. Sure, we have lots of ideas but then we hesitate at the last minute. One can sometimes be too shy to even try or just really hesitate to give out a helping hand. Probably when their days are too bad, there’s no room for anything to change their mood. Just an assurance: if you try and they’re still all grumpy, it is not your fault.

Lastly, the things we see in social media sort of sets the bar high. People expect too much and we feel so pressured to spend for something to just brighten someone’s day. Random strangers giving out what street people need by ordering it online and have it delivered straight to the concerned person. But it’s rather rare that someone can be that rich and generous to the homeless, right? We easily equate having to cheer someone up as to spending too much when, in reality, it doesn’t have to be.

So how do you cheer up someone who’s down?

There are many ways you can do that and it doesn’t even have to cost a dime. We give you a few tips on how to do it so that this #CheerUpTheLonelyDay, you can draw more smiles on people’s faces – both on those who are close to you and strangers you get to meet.

Simple Gestures, Great Happiness

Simple gestures can surely make someone smile. It doesn’t have to be anything grand or complicated.

For one, your smile can mean a lot to someone who has had a bad morning. You may never know it, but it will surely lighten someone’s day. You don’t have to direct your smile to just a single person; smile all the way through and to anyone you meet. And guess what? When you give that smile away, who knows you’ll get it right back! Then, you’ll be able to see a smile on your face, too.

Another simple gesture that you can do is to lend a helping hand. Look around and see who needs an extra help to do their tasks. It could be as simple as helping a stranger carry their groceries, help an elderly cross the street, or helping a colleague at the copier. Helping others out might mean so much to them that it could be the highlight of their day.

Offering food or beverage can also speak volumes to a person. Be it a hungry man on the street, or the officemate seated beside or across you. Believe in the power of food and good beverage especially on those times that you feel like the person needs a whole lot of energy. Just make sure that the person is not allergic to that food or that the food is not spoiled yet (especially if you give a leftover to a beggar). You can always ask or tell the person what food you’re offering to avoid any allergic reactions. If you don’t, you might just do the opposite of cheering someone up.

Create DIY Gifts to Make Someone Smile

Something wrapped or made can surely brighten up someone’s day. But when budget can be pretty tight, we think twice of giving away anything.

Gifts doesn’t have to be expensive; more so, they don’t have to be bought.

Create a DIY gift out of something that you have on your desk. You can create origamis with handwritten notes, or get-well-soon cards for your sick officemate. You can also do some beautiful crafts and reuse some scraps at home and give it as a gift to someone whom you think might need it. Be it a pen holder or a tassel earring!

Another way to give a gift to someone is to re-gift. Look for old gifts given to you that you never used because you just could find the use of it. Of course, check if they are still in good condition before you give them out. Too many mugs? Someone in your office might need one. To make it more special, you can make them a cup of coffee and leave them a note. There are other ideas of what items you can re-gift and surely, you’re the best one who knows what they are.

Lastly, and same as the last point above, you can always give out food or beverage. Bake a cookie and pass it around so everyone can have a piece. Brew an entire pot of coffee so everyone may share. It doesn’t have to be something big; a little bit to munch on or passed around for sharing would do.

Let Social Media Cheer Them Up

Social media can be a very powerful tool. It has been a tool to ignite changes and protests all over the world. You can use social media, too, to somehow cheer up a friend or connection.

Look into your Facebook Memories or download Timehop. You might see a good old memory you had a year ago that you can share with someone. Bringing back the good old times would surely put a smile on a friend’s face. Post throwback photo or simply a tweet you did back then. Nostalgia sure does bring in a few smiles.

You can also cheer up a friend by giving them a shoutout on social media. Think of something worth the shoutout… did the person do something amazing for you before? Did the person look good today? Put that ‘@’ sign into good use and make someone smile by tagging them with a great compliment.

You can also share their work on your timeline. If you have a friend who’s an artist or animator, or something who does crafts and sell items online, a single click can help them get clients, leads, or even sales. Share their posts to reach out to your network of friends. Or if you own a piece that they sell or do, show it off to everyone. You’ll never know when it’ll be a huge blessing to a person.

Lastly, the most random yet most encouraging post you can give can totally cheer someone up. Post an inspiring quote or post a sentence or two as a pep talk. You’ll never know who can read it. You’ll never know who needs to read something to push them. And the more you’ll never know who’s hit rock bottom and that you might just save someone’s life. Words have great powers to some people and the power of social media makes it more powerful. It reaches strangers and change their lives. So go ahead and post something good today.

Carry all these ideas with you wherever you go. Don’t just do it every 11th of July! Make sure you get to send out good vibes to people every single day.

Always remember that a little bit of kindness, even the simplest of all gestures, can make ripples to other people’s lives. So this #CheerUpTheLonelyDay, paint smiles all over town!