Marches, "alternative facts" and avalanches, oh my! This year has been quite the roller coaster so far, and it's only been about three weeks. If the commotion of this unpredictable world is making you feel overwhelmed or stressed, here's a list of seven random acts of kindness you could do today and one day for the rest of a week to make someone else a little less stressed. Chances are, you'll feel a little happier too.


1. Pay for the person behind you in a drive-thru. It may be a cliche, but it's probably one for a reason. So pay it forward. Maybe that person will too, and then everyone in that Starbucks drive-thru will just start his or her day infinitely better.

2. Buy your mom flowers for no apparent reason. Moms are the life forces of this planet; she deserves flowers.


3.  Cook your roommates (or your significant other, or even just yourself) a nice dinner. It will brighten another person's day that you put in the effort, even if that just means boiling noodles. I know Chick-Fil-A always beckons, but take a walk on the slightly more nutritious side.

4. Make your best friends a playlist for their next road trip or work commute. They'll embarrass themselves during the 60 seconds of red-light dance parties to songs you hand-picked for them. True friendship.


5. Tell a coworker, teacher, policeman, veteran, firefighter or even just the local barista who knows your daily order down-cold thank you for everything they do or have done to make your quality of life that much better.

6. Give your favorite local dive bar or family-owned restaurant that outstanding Yelp review you just never seem to remember to do after every occasion you've left the establishment in a better mood (from the booze, the food coma or both).

7. Hold the elevator for as many people in the corridor as possible instead of putting your head down, headphones in, and pretending you didn't know there were any other people in the building five steps away from pressing the arrow.

Go be kind—you got this!