92 Ways to Encourage and Support Others

Sometimes when a friend is going through a hard time, we think and think about what we can do to come alongside them. It helps to get ideas from someone else, so… here’s a list of 92 ways to encourage and support others!

Remember, it takes prayerful discernment to know what kind of encouragement to offer to your friend.

Something that works well for one person won’t resonate with another. Plus, it will depend on why they need encouragement. Are they having a hard day? Struggling with depression? Going through a divorce? Having trouble with a child? Battling cancer or chronic illness? Dealing with job loss?

So as you read through the list below, keep your friend in the front of your mind and ask God what you can do to reach out. Then be sure to add your own thoughts in the comments below.

92 Ideas for Encouraging Others

1. Leave a fun voice message for them.
2. Clean their house.
3. Invite them to use your house for a day to get away as a “retreat” of sorts.
4. Write a (long) handwritten letter.
5. Send a (short) note card.
6. Help them organize their clothes/closet.
7. Take them some of their favorite flowers.
8. Call and let them talk about what is going on.
9. Send them a copy of one of your favorite pictures together.
10. Pick one of your favorite pictures and have it turned into a mug, puzzle, sweatshirt, blanket, canvas, etc.
11. Invite them over to watch their favorite TV show.
12. Go for a car ride with them with no pressure to talk.
13. Mail a care package with items selected just for them.
14. Cook one of their favorite meals.
15. Write one of their favorite sayings in calligraphy for them (or have someone skilled in calligraphy do it for you).
16. Watch their kids for a few hours.
17. Gift them a membership to an online community they would find meaningful.
18. Go with them to their counseling appointment.
19. Send them a bunch of balloons.
20. Go to the gym together.

Invite them to use your house for a day to get away as a “retreat” of sorts.

21. Give them a book they would enjoy (and consider writing a personal inscription on the inside cover).
22. Take them out for coffee or tea.
23. Pressure wash their house or sidewalk.
24. Reach out to them after a “big day” and see how it went and how they are doing.
25. Watch their house/pets/kids for a few days so they can get away.
26. Text them a joke.
27. Take your family and theirs out on a picnic.
28. Make them a painting.
29. Play a game of basketball with them.
30. Visit a local park or lake together.
31. Email them a fond memory of the two of you.
32. Treat them to lunch.
33. Send them a gift card to a shop they like.
34. Sit on the porch with them.
35. Make them a blanket.
36. Arrange for them to have family photos taken (and pay for it).
37. Drop off food from one of their favorite restaurants.
38. Work on their landscaping for them.
39. Pass along job openings that would be a good fit for them.
40. Compile some of your favorite memories into a small book or photo album.
41. Write out a prayer and mail it to them.
42. Send them something to add to their collection (i.e., stamps, coins, dolls, puzzles).
43. Celebrate their birthday or other special occasions.
44. Go for a walk together. Talk if they want to. Enjoy the quiet together if they don’t.
45. Run some errands for them–grocery, store, etc.
46. Help them get a guest room ready (in the case of an elder parent needing to come and live with them).
47. Take their pet to the groomers for them, and pick them up afterward.
48. Offer to fill in for them in their volunteer commitment so they can have a day off.
49. Text them an affirming thought–what do you appreciate about them?
50. Give them a hug.

51. Help them do their holiday shopping.
52. Take them to their doctor’s appointments.
53. Pray with them before a big moment/event.
54. Read a book to them, or read through a book together.
55. Invite their kids over to run through the sprinkler.
56. Take them to get their nails done.
57. Buy them a t-shirt that they’d like.
58. Go to the funeral for their loved one.
59. Mow their yard.
60. Help them deep clean their new home or apartment.
61. Put together a package of items from their childhood.
62. Ask them to come over for a camp fire.
63. Shovel their sidewalk or driveway.
64. Wash their dishes.
65. Go with them to their court hearing.
66. Take their car to get the oil changed or get a repair (or repair it yourself, if you are able to).
67. Give them a candle in a scent you think they’d enjoy.
68. Text them a prayer.
69. Pay one month’s utilities for them.
70. Study the Bible together.

Help them get a guest room ready (in the case of an elder parent needing to come and live with them).

71. Ask them to join your family for the holidays.
72. Celebrate little wins.
73. Pay for them to have a massage.
74. Take them to a sports game.
75. Share with them something you’ve been learning lately.
76. Help them host a garage sale.
77. Wash their windows for them–inside and out.
78. Watch a movie they’d enjoy.
79. Help them paint their walls or redecorate if looking for a way to make a home their own or start “afresh” after a hard time.
80. Make them some cookies or other delicious treat.
81. Take them to see a play at local school or theater.
82. Do their laundry.
83. Order them a charm necklace with their family member’s names or other charms they would like.
84. Play a board game together.
85. Pass along a meaningful podcast that inspired you.
86. Buy them a subscription to a magazine they would enjoy.
87. Take their car to get washed and/or detailed.
88. Enjoy one of their favorite pastimes with them (i.e., boating, hiking, crafting).
89. Clean their gutters.
90. Give them a high five.
91. Take them to visit their grandchildren if they are no longer able to drive.
92. Help them move into a new place–and bring some others to help, too, if they’d be okay with that.

What has been encouraging to you during difficult times?