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Kindness, it is not only good for the soul, but it is easy on the budget. Did you know that the easiest and cheapest way to get a good old fashioned dopamine hit is by smiling. One of the many roles Dopamine plays is to provide pleasurable reward, motivation and mood. Both giving and receiving a big grin can impact the mind and the body in a positive way. The best thing about a smile is that it costs you nothing! Thinking about integrating a bit more joy into your day? There are lots of creative and inexpensive ways to be kind. 1.Hand write a letter or a card to someone you have been thinking about. There is joy in sending and receiving good old snail mail. 2. Pay it forward! Have a few extra dollars to spend? Buy the person in line behind you at the coffee shop a beverage or perhaps the next time you are at the grocery store purchase a small bouquet of flowers for the cashier you see regularly. There is great joy in a simple random act of kindness. 3. Pay someone a compliment, especially one that is unexpected. 4. Hold the door open for a stranger. So often we are in a hurry that we forget that small gestures have a large impact. 5. Pick up some trash in your neighborhood. The earth needs kindness too. 6. Have some extra time in your schedule? Volunteer! Investing in what you are passionate about is an investment in your community. 7. Enjoy cooking? Offer to make a meal for a friend or neighbor. The benefits are two-fold and life is what you bake of it! 8. Donate to a charity you care about. For an extra dash of kindness, make the donation in the name of a friend or loved one. 9. Read a good book, or listen to a podcast. It is important to be kind to your mind. 10. Last but not least, one of the greatest acts of kindness is to be kind to yourself. Decide what self-care looks and feels like to you and make yourself a priority.

Ever get the Back to Work Blues? That anticipatory dread that keeps you up on Sunday night? According to LinkedIN Eighty percent of American professionals report experiencing some version of the Sunday Scaries, including over Ninety percent of Millennials and Gen Z’s. Not feeling very grounded or present in your busy day to day life, you may be more likely to become dis-regulated as you prepare for the upcoming week. Multi-tasking? Too much on your plate? A poor self-care routine? These are all putting our society at a greater risk of trying to pour from the proverbial empty cup. No one feels prepared to tackle the challenges of the upcoming week if there is a hole in their cup. It’s important to navigate these feelings all week long in order to avoid the anticipatory dread that starts to creep up midway through the coveted weekend. Plan ahead. Be prepared. Create a personalized Toolbox that you can use to stay grounded every day. Common elements of the Toolbox include proper sleep hygiene, hydration and nutrition. These are things we frequently have control of. If you are not sleeping for example, it becomes difficult to function cognitively, which as a result increases anxiety and as a result the now common Sunday Scaries. Stay mindful and present on Sunday. Take a walk. Movement keeps us present. Call a friend. Connection keeps us present. Take notes. A To Do list keeps us present. Whatever Self Care looks like to you is Self Care. It is difficult to be anxious about tomorrow if you are intentional about today.