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Mental Health Awareness Week 2020: A reflection on kindness
Why kindness?
The Mental Health Foundation have chosen kindness as their theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year. Research has shown that kindness is a cornerstone of individual and collective mental wellbeing, and something that holds much power and potential. Now more than ever, kindness is proving crucial to our ability to cope as a society.
A chance to reflect
There are lots of ways for us to show kindness which are good for our mental health and increase our connectedness. This week the team at Kamwell have been reflecting on acts of kindness, given and received. These are some of our favourites:
- ‘My friend sent me some treats in an old rice krispies box (!) to cheer me up when I wasn’t feeling very well, including practical things like paracetamol and strepsils as well as chocolate, glitter and face masks!’ - Hannah
- ‘Last year when I moved house, I donated my Lego collection to a children's hospital. The head nurse later emailed me to express her gratitude because the children were having so much fun playing with their new toys.’ - Zoe
- ‘My brother and 3 year old niece went strawberry picking this morning and left a hand picked punnet on our doorstep as a treat.’ - Kirsten
- ‘A close friend of mine recently sent me a ‘hug token’ and note just to say she was missing me. It was so thoughtful and made my day.’ – Char
- ‘I was recently (pre-Covid19) going through a very busy time and feeling a little overwhelmed by my burgeoning to-do list. My mum spotted the signs of overwhelm and offered to have my two kids for a weekend sleepover so that I could have some time to recalibrate. For me as a parent, there is no greater gift than getting some time to focus on myself (and my to-to list!).’ - Emma
What can we learn?
Life has changed recently. Our worlds have been made smaller, our daily routine stripped back to a simplicity we may have never experienced. Although it has certainly come with challenges, for many, it has also brought into focus what is important. A small gesture of kindness can easily be the highlight of our day.
This week The Mental Health Foundation are asking us to explore the sort of society we would like to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic. For us at Kamwell, we hope we can hold onto our increased sense of connectedness, genuine care for others wellbeing and the shared humanity that has been embraced. We are committed to taking this forward - to be kinder to ourselves, others, and our world.