Week 7 – Looking after your Mental Health
Welcome to Week 7 of our Giving Tuesday campaign. This week (18-24th May) is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year is Kindness.
Being kind is a big thing at the moment: social media is full of memes reminding us that kindness costs nothing, but gives everything; that in a world where you can be anything, be kind. And protecting mental health has never been more crucially important: the mental and emotions pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to far outlast the physical effects. Which is where kindness comes into play.
Kindness can do so many things… it can bring communities together, strengthen relationships, and allow our humanity to shine through. Science shows that kindness is an antidote to loneliness and isolation, it creates a sense of belonging, boosts self-esteem and can help to reduce stress.
Many people are hoping that the restrictions we are currently facing will lead us to a kinder society, as we come through this difficult time together.
And so, we have put together this week’s activities with Mental Health and Kindness in mind, helping you to find peace and calm in this tumultuous time.
Music to help you meditate
This short excerpt of a wonderful ‘drift-away’ session from our lovely local harpist, Julia Mitchell, can help to reduce your stress levels. Find yourself a nice quiet space and have a listen. (If you’d like to listen to the full session, click here.)
Julia runs a company called Peaceful Strings, offering harp therapy sessions in the Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire area. You can find out more about Julia and her talent here.
A positive attitude can help your mental health
Having a positive attitude can really affect how you deal with your mental health, as this extract from a recent interview with Sophie Hannah shows. Sophie is an author who writes thrillers and runs an author’s help group called ‘Dream Author’.
We felt it fitted really well with this week’s Giving Tuesday and the kindness theme.
The science behind Kindness
There is a lot of science behind kindness and the impact it has on ourselves and others.
Here’s a short clip from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation explaining all…
Mindful colouring to calm a busy mind
There’s nothing like a spot of peaceful, mindful colouring. We’ve collated a few wonderful colouring pages for everyone in the family to enjoy. A great way to create calm in a busy mind.