This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. The campaign runs once a year to raise awareness of mental health, mental health problems and inspire action to promote the message of good mental health for all.
The theme, kindness
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 is kindness. The Mental Health Foundation has chosen ‘kindness ‘because of its singular ability to unlock our shared humanity. It can strengthen relationships, develop community, and deepen solidarity.
The foundation also wanted to shine a light on some recent acts of kindness. You may have heard of the fantastic Captain Tom Moore who touched the hearts of many people across the nation. He challenged himself to walk 100 laps around his garden to raise £1000 for the NHS. To his surprise and the nations, he hit and exceeded his target, he walked the 100 laps around his garden and raised an astonishing £32,000,000. His gesture is truly inspiring.
With everything going on right now, showing kindness is so important, a simple kind gesture can make a massive difference to someone's day. The Mental Health Foundation is also encouraging people to share their stories and pictures of kindness this month using #kindnessmatters on social media.
Take Action, Get Active challenge
The Mental Health Foundation is also running a challenge throughout May for everyone to try. The challenge ‘Take Action, Get Active’ aims to keep people fit and active during the lockdown. The foundation is asking people to be active for 30 minutes a day which can include anything from a walk, baking or doing some gardening, everything counts.
For those who would prefer to complete a less active challenge they have several options on their website to choose from, ranging from virtual quizzes to sharing your skills, there is plenty to try.
To show our support, we are taking part in a 3-day virtual relay which you may have seen on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages. All the proceeds we raise will go to our sponsored charity of the year, Mind. [EW1] It’s the final day of our relay tomorrow, so make sure to keep an eye out on our social pages. To view our virtual relay, click here.
How you can get involved
For Mental Health Awareness Week, the foundation is wanting the nation to discuss the topic of mental health and the theme for this year, kindness. On their website, there are plenty of social graphics, gifs, and other resources for you to share on your social media using the #kindnessmatters.
They are also asking for people to share their ideas on how we can create a kinder society that would support mental health. Another great way to get involved is hosting a virtual fundraising event, they have plenty of free quizzes to download from their website.
It would be great to hear how you are getting involved with Mental Health Awareness Week, comment below or send us a message on our Facebook page.