What a week!
Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 was held between 18th and 24th of May and we were thrilled that so many members of the community were able to celebrate it with us. We hosted a variety of activities that focussed on this year’s theme of ‘Kindness’.
For instance, our team ran daily Zoom sessions focussing on the ‘five ways to wellbeing’ and how each way might relate to kindness. People across Derby joined our team and came up with some great ideas. You can check out our introduction to the ‘five ways to kindness blog’ by clicking this link. Alternatively, check out the days that interest you below:
Connect
“Experience joy and self kindness by keeping in touch with loved ones. Try a virtual get together or get involved in online volunteering!”
Be Active
“Boost our mental health by keeping fit and physical. Do some gardening with your household or go for an evening stroll.”
Keep Learning
“Increase self esteem by achieving learning goals for yourself. Try some online webinars, share your knowledge or do a free online course.”
Give
“Giving is an act of kindness that can be great for our wellness – and it doesn’t have to be financial. Try clapping for carers, or give your time to listen to someone in need.”
Take Notice
“We can be kind to ourselves simply by focussing on the present moment. Try a walk by yourself, do some breathing exercises or learn to meditate”.
Random Acts of Kindness
Kindness is cool!
Our Peer Support and Volunteer Coordinator, Philomena, also arranged for 100 people to do random acts of kindness throughout the week. Whilst we collate our responses, have a mosey on over to our dedicated blog post or check out what some people have said below. Have you been doing acts of kindness yourself? Let us know by getting in touch below!
Q: How did you find doing random acts of kindness?
“I bought some flowers for an elderly neighbor but she wasn’t in! I later found myself naturally offering advice to a couple in the supermarket, who weren’t sure about how to make a chocolate cake. I was really pleased for them that they found the ingredients they needed!”
“My task was to say something positive to every person I spoke to in a day. A couple of people noticed that I was doing it and we had a laugh about it. This was really positive and I think it encouraged others to do their activities too.”
