When we were designing our prompt deck collection for life Hack Decks™, a Random Acts of Kindness Deck kept coming to the forefront of our minds. While our decks have a common theme and are designed to make life easier and more enjoyable, we wondered how we could incorporate this deck into the mix of five.
Our five decks include: Date Deck® (to make date decisions easier for both partners and take the stress out of deciding what to do together), Declutter Deck® (to make decluttering that much simpler), Dorm Deck (to help incoming freshmen enter college and dorm life feeling more confident), the New Mama Deck (to helps moms transition into caring for baby and themselves) and our Random Acts of Kindness Deck. Our Random Acts of Kindness Deck fits into the mix because each is designed to make your life easier and less stressful. Random Acts of Kindness Deck also helps you be the best version of yourself by removing stress instead of adding to it. This deck helps you see the best in life and in people, and then act on it. Makes for a much better life and your personal relationships will improve!
How Do Random Acts of Kindness Make Your Life Less Stressful?
Deep down inside many of us, we want to be better at life. We want to be better parents, better partners, and better community members. We want to bring light into the world rather than darkness. We want to lift others up in kindness, rather than dragging them down to a dark place. We want to encourage rather than discourage. All these desires can be distilled into one common theme: we want to be better human beings. Sometimes, though, it’s not that easy.
Life is Messy
The one thing I’ve learned from living my life so far is that life is messy. Very messy at times, and neat as a pin at others. But, mostly messy. The reason I bring this up is because we all need little life hacks that help us negotiate difficult times. This includes making life simpler, not harder, so that life isn’t as messy as it might otherwise be. A messy life is normal, a simpler life is easier. It affords us the time to do things that are more fun, gives us time to ourselves, and lets us be better human beings.
When we are less stressed, we can give from the heart much easier. Being tense and nervous all the time because of a lack of time or our need to do something other than what we’re doing cause confusion and stress. And when raising a family, being a community member, a member of the school board, whatever our situation, we need to free up time to do what is most important. So often, we get bogged down in the little details that we can’t clear a space from which to grow. This is the importance of our decks, including our Random Acts of Kindness Deck. This deck not only shows us little ways to make a difference in our lives, but it also gives back to us by releasing the “feel good” hormone when we are kind to others. This is a bonus for us, as well as them.
How Do Life Hack Decks Take Away Stress?
As we’ve demonstrated in several other blogs, life hacks really do work. They take the decision-making away from us and let us think about something else. For example, our Date Deck® helps us outsource date ideas. It takes the pressure off us to make simple decisions and lets us focus on those decisions that are more important. In doing so, we are able to be kinder human beings. This is important, especially if we are parents.
Children sense when we are stressed no matter what their age. I have grown children who have seen me go through a million stages and a million events, and they know when I’m stressed. They are old enough now to tell me to take a breath when they see me like this. It grounds me immediately and brings me back to where I need to be. But little children don’t understand this, and they don’t know why we change our behavior under stress. Sometimes we don’t either.
I know how I behave when I’m under stress. I can be going along just fine, and then one thing too many piles up and it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. Suddenly, I’m stressed. And not a little stressed. A lot. I can typically handle a lot and am a good multitasker, but sometimes I just overextend myself and I can’t pull back my stress level. It’s like I become a wind-up toy, and turn in circles. Sound familiar? For this reason, we have created these prompt cards, 52 cards to a deck, that enable us to become more functional human beings with less stress.
Date Deck®, For Example
Why should figuring out what to do with your partner cause stress? It should be fun to have a date, right? Well, typically it is fun but it’s only fun when you have time to do it or plan it. If it feels like just another thing on your to-do list, then the joy evaporates, and you develop resentment. Or frustration. Or anger. Or something. And usually, it’s because you are overloaded and that one more thing is too much. The “one more thing” is usually something that can be outsourced to a prompt deck, and all the sudden you’re back in control again. Our Date Deck® is perfect for easing this stress.
It's stressful to keep hearing your computer or phone ding with work messages or reminders of things you need to do. The stress rises, and you are on complete overload. You become a less kind person. And our children see this. They can’t always verbalize it, but they know it when they see it. We become less approachable, more quick tempered, and much less patient. We become, as they say, not our best selves.
Be Your Best Self
Reduce your stress, become a kinder, gentler version of yourself, by outsourcing simple ideas to our life Hack Decks™. The decks will not be another thing you have “to do” but instead will relieve the stress of everyday living. With a pack of 52 cards, you can make a big difference with a small deck. It works! And, because it is geared toward showing kindness and gratitude to others, it helps improve their day (or week), too!
Let our families, friends, co-workers, colleagues, and strangers see us at our best. Pick up a Random Acts of Kindness Deck, focus on gratitude and compassion instead of why we feel so stressed, and put your pebble in the water. The ripple effect of kindness extends far and wide, but only when we take the first step to do it.
Check out our Random Acts of Kindness Decks from life Hack Decks™. These prompt decks of 52 cards makes living life with a generous and grateful heart that much easier. Pick a card and act on the prompt. It’s that simple. And when you're finished, gift it to a friend.