Illustration by Alice Leach
As the month of March is quickly approaching, many students may have already begun to notice their course loads for the semester have dramatically begun to increase. With several other responsibilities to be concerned about, it is no doubt that students begin to feel overwhelmed and stressed at this point in the semester. As busy college students, it is very easy to become too concerned with our own assignments, deadlines and tasks we need to complete. We tend to become fully indulged in ourselves and pay less attention to our friends and peers who surround us. However, I personally believe it is extremely important that although we have our own responsibilities to take care of, we should make an effort to be attentive to those around us as well.
The notion that you never know what someone is going through is very true. Regardless of the intensity of someone’s current situation, it is vital to keep in mind that the actions and words you portray to others can have an impact on them that you may not even realize. It may be especially easy to become so involved in our own duties as students, employees and friends that we neglect the thoughts and feelings of those around us. Because of this, I believe it is especially important to make an effort to become more selfless in our everyday lives and consider how our words and actions can impact other individuals.
As a collective group, most students can agree that they feel welcome and comfortable around those who commit simple acts of kindness. These random acts of kindness, such as simply holding the door open for someone, have the ability to improve someone’s day and have a positive impact on their current emotions, thoughts and feelings. Simple aspects of everyday tasks can be draining, but a simple act of kindness not only has the ability to improve someone else’s day, but to improve your own mood as well. Because of this, I believe each individual should make an effort to be more selfless and try to make others feel just as good as we do when we receive random acts of kindness.
The next time you feel overwhelmed and stressed about your own current situation, I advise you to take the time to make an effort to step back and notice how your actions may have an impact on those around you. The influence of a simple act of kindness has much more of an effect than you may be aware of.
