Mental Health Awareness Week journey: cool to be kind

Today kicks off this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and the theme for 2020 is ‘kindness’.

In recent months, we’ve all needed a little extra kindness, whether that means talking to yourself in a less harsh voice, being patient with the ups and downs of loved ones, or picking up shopping for your 80-year-old neighbour who’s in isolation.

Over the next seven days, we’re asking you to come on a kindness journey with us to reflect and explore what this means to you and how it could improve your mental wellbeing. We recommend you either print this off and pin it up somewhere to remind you, or add the daily action to your self-care to-do list.

Day one: thinking about kindness

Take some time today to think about what kindness means to you. How does kindness look when you see it happening in the world? What sort of actions are kind, and why? When you’re kind to someone else, how does it make you feel? When someone is kind to you, how does that feel? What does this do for your wellbeing?

Today’s challenge is to think about what value kindness has in your life, whether that’s in the past, the present, the future, or all three. Why is it something worth giving and receiving? Where in your life would you like to invite a bit more kindness?

Day two: being kind to yourself

Accepting and showing kindness starts with your inner voice. What does yours sound like? Is it supportive, understanding and positive, or does it tend towards harsh words and criticism? Perhaps a bit of both? What does it say when you make a mistake, or when you set yourself a goal? Would you speak to a friend in the way you speak to yourself?

For today’s challenge, pay special attention to your inner voice, what it says to you and when. In the moments when it’s positive and supportive, notice how that makes you feel. If it’s ever harsh or negative, challenge it. Say something kinder to yourself. Say what you’d say to a friend. It might not come naturally, but it’s good to practice.

Day three: receiving kindness

Today, we’ll focus on the feeling of receiving kindness from someone else. Think of a time someone showed you kindness. Who were they, and what did they do? Was it a big gesture, or something small? What feelings do you remember from that moment? Do you find it easy to receive kindness from other people?

Sometimes, accepting kindness can feel vulnerable, and can take courage. Today, we challenge you to reflect on this vulnerability and to think about what it means for you to be courageous about kindness.

Day four: showing kindness to loved ones

Showing kindness to family and friends shows them how much you care, makes them feel good, and deepens your relationship with them over time. Today’s challenge is to show kindness to someone close to you in whatever way you think they’ll appreciate it most.

You might say something encouraging to a friend when they’re talking about something they want from the future. Perhaps you could take care of a small errand for a family member, or write a letter to someone you haven’t seen for a long time. It doesn’t have to be a big, grand gesture or cost you a fortune – it’s genuinely the thought that counts.

Day five: kindness in the community

Today, our kindness reaches out a little further into your community, whether that means the Foyer community, the community in your local area, your college community, or something else. How can you do something kind for this group of people?

Perhaps you could volunteer to make something for an upcoming bake sale, or share a skill you have with someone who wants to learn. You might leave some positive feedback for someone, or tell them you appreciate the work they do. Helping someone with directions, giving them a hand with their bags or simply smiling at a stranger are all simple things you can do to put out a bit of kindness into the world today.

Day six: kindness to the planet

Reaching even further today, we challenge you to do something that shows kindness to the planet.

Taking care of our surroundings might mean refilling a water bottle rather than buying more plastic, or remembering to reuse plastic bags when you go out to the shops. It might mean joining or organising a local litter-picking group, or sharing a post from an environmental charity with your friends and followers. Just a small kind gesture can make a difference.

Day seven: reflection

The last day of the week is a perfect time to reflect on your kindness journey. Did you stick to each day? How was it to challenge your inner voice and speak to yourself kindly? How did it make you feel to be more conscious of kindness, both the kind that’s directed to you and the kind you put out into the world? Who did you show kindness to, and how? Was there anything you did that you want to continue to do?