Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 - 18/05/20

Today marked the start of MHAW 2020 and this year the theme is Kindness. On the mentalhealth.org.uk website you can find out loads more about the initiative and personal stories of Kindness. It explains that Kindness was chosen due to it being:

"a cornerstone of our individual and collective mental health."

It is also reported to be:

"something that all human beings need to experience and practise to be fully alive."

Clearly, being on the receiving end of an act of kindness is great, but our mental health and personal growth also benefit hugely from showing kindness towards others. I have interpreted this as meaning...

Everybody can rely on their community to lift them in their hour of need, providing everyone within that community is also aware of those in need when they themselves feel fine and that they then take positive action to address this need in others by offering help, support or understanding (kindness!)

My favourite Royals, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got MHAW off to a brilliant start this morning at 10.59am when they spoke on UK radio waves, across all stations, during Mental Health Minute, connecting to over 20 million people. The Duchess emphasised the importance of talking about your struggles and also encouraged people to:

"use this moment to send a message"

assuring that:

"it's OK to ask how they are"

referring to friends or loved ones who may be acting differently.

The Royals took part in this initiative through their Heads Together charity. There is plenty of help available for people in MH crisis which can be accessed through the charities on the Heads Together website (headstogether.org.uk)

During last year's MHAW I focused on raising awareness of BPD (I have a Borderline Personality Disorder diagnosis) It is rarely talked about in the media but a Mental Health disorder that is undoubtedly, incredibly difficult to live with, both for the individual and their loved ones.

I may refer to specific examples of how kindness can make a difference for BPD people, but primarily, my focus this week will be:

a) spreading the message that kindness and mental health are deeply connected

b) the positive emotional effects of kindness such as feeling loved, noticed, important, confident and optimistic

Earlier in May, I chose a 'Yoga with Adriene' video called 'Fill your Cup' - Adriene talked about how, in order that you are mentally, emotionally and physically able to support others in your life and share your energy with them, you must first be sure to gift yourself with time, energy and the self-care required to ensure you are at your best! (recharge your batteries!) I think this is so important. Great advice for everyone, to take care of yourself first...but do always be kind!

This week I will aim to highlight some of the wonderful acts of kindness that have already been happening during the Coronavirus Pandemic, and I hope to inspire further acts of kindness too, particularly in relation to people who may be struggling with mental health during these dark times in isolation.

As always, on days when I am not sharing pictures of my art, I will leave you with some lovely quotes from my Pinterest boards...enjoy!