This week May 18-24th is Mental Health Awareness Week, helping reeducate and support those suffering from mental illness.
During this week, the intention is to bring more awareness and open the collective mindset towards mental health in society. The aim of Mental Health Awareness week is to gather support for people, individually and mentally so we can begin to lead healthier lives.
This week, a big focus is to bring acceptance and support to those at greatest risk of being affected and discriminated most in society.
First started in 2001, Mental Health Awareness Week has been highly effective. As we know, mental health can affect anyone at any age and at any time in life. This makes it very important for us to understand and have a greater awareness for the individuals. Each year, there is a theme and this years theme is Kindness!
Kindness is perfect in today's ever-changing and unpredictable time as we participate in living through a global pandemic. Since the onset of the lockdown in March, I have seen such huge kindness in society and it's so beautiful to witness and experience.
Before lockdown, our lives had become so fast and in a way, we had become human-doers versus the kind humans we are by nature. It has been so wonderful to see how quickly people came together to create kind and compassionate community support. I hope we continue to keep this alive as we exit the lockdown as it's needed in everyday life at all times. In the midst of fear and despair community gives us hope, strength, and a network to lean on with compassion and kindness. Community gives us the invaluable resource of sharing our pain, burdens and allowing us to release and share mental burdens. Concerns and fears that otherwise would be kept within, become the triggers to great mental health awareness which can escalate if left unresolved.
Kindness today, as we exit lockdown is crucial as everyone has experienced this epidemic very differently. As we create our new lifestyles lets each make a focus to use kindness as the base for us to progress from in our homes, relationships, workplaces, schools, families and society as a whole.
Let's promote Kindness together this week!
1. Call someone you have not spoken to in a while and share with them an example of kindness.
2. Email 5 or more of your family and friends and send them a message of kindness.
3. Create a Video Call for your family or community of friends, help those who maybe have not done it before so they too can join and see each other as we chat.
4. If you have a talent like singing, telling jokes or sharing puzzles, share your gift with family and friends and if you are on social media share it there for others to enjoy!
5. Share an inspiring piece of music or art and create a conversation around it that stimulates others to chat about it opening up conversations.
6. Be alert when you are out on your walk, at work, at the grocery store and observe where you can help others everyone needs help and most of us never ask.
7. Smile and as you smile connect with that human as you simply don’t know what’s happening in their lives. Your smile will make a difference to them and to you.
In life we all have challenges, please know there is always someone to lean on and someone to share and gather solution with. You don’t have to suffer alone.
In my practice, we have many tools and treatments to support relieving the burdens of the mind and also to clear and strengthen the mind for when we encounter challenging times.
We are always available to chat and offer support to you, just ask anytime.