I’m a college student so keeping a balance of taking care of myself and others is tough. Do you have any suggestions for how I could show compassion or do a good deed for someone daily, even if it’s something small?

All you can do is take it one day at a time pick one person each day if possible and spend a few minutes with them just pick something to do. I work and do school so I take time on Saturday and Sundays with my family and Monday thru Friday I take an hour or so to do school work and spend time with family after and I also make time for me in between

If you don't have the bandwidth to help, tell them instead howv to access counseling or mental health services on campus. This is still so helpful.

Yes – a smile! Sometimes just simply noticing someone and giving them an intentional smile can brighten their day. I also like to look for opportunities to give someone — even a passing stranger — an honest compliment. "That's such a pretty color on you" always seems to surprise and delight women (note: I'm a woman, though, so it's less awkward to compliment strangers!) – and just telling people they're doing good work really brightens their day. I tell helpful salespeople, "You really helped me make my decisions"; phone support, "You've helped take some of the stress out of my day, thanks!" As a student, you could tell a good teacher: "You really made that clear for me today, I appreciate your work." And some days, I treat MYSELF with compassion! With a busy life, don't forget to be kind and compassionate to yourself! 🙂

If you're in school, you are probably pretty busy. Luckily, compassion isn't something you have to do, it's something you have while you do everything else. Slow down in your daily interactions, and recognize the suffering, and yearning for joy, in the people you talk to. They are busy too, and spending a few moments around someone (you) living with compassion will feel good, even if they don't know exactly what is going on.