Showing kindness to yourself and others

May 2020

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme is kindness.

Now is the perfect time to brighten up someone's day with a small act of kindness. Smiling at a passer by when you are out on your daily walk, offering to do some shopping for a neighbour or posting a card to someone to show you are thinking of them can make their day.

Research shows that carrying out acts of kindness is also beneficial for your own mental health.

Ways to show kindness to others

  1. Greet a passer by on your socially distanced walk
  2. Offer to help neighbours with items of shopping they may need
  3. Check in on friends, family and acquantances that you know may be struggling with lockdown overload or isolation
  4. Practise patience with those you are quarantining with. It's normal for tempers to fray in such close quarters. If you can take a beat and step back or begin to notice your reactions you can change developing situations or defuse them quickly


Showing kindness to yourself

You may find yourself getting frustrated at your reactions in these difficult times, or talking to yourself negatively in your head when things feel out of control. Cut yourself some slack. Remind yourself that you are doing the best you can. Make time every day for at least one thing you enjoy, whether it's a phone call, a good song or a piece of cake. Think about setting intentions as you get up in the morning or writing down three things you are grateful for every evening.

We are all in this together, and we all benefit from giving and receiving a little kindness. You can find out more about Mental Health Appreciation Week and the Kindness theme here