This week is Mental Health Awareness week and the theme is kindness.
What comes to mind when you hear the word kindness? Giving to others? Helping? Showing love?
The past few months have been extremely tough for most of us in so many ways. Illness, losses of friends, family, jobs and businesses. Not to mention fatigue and missing our usual routines.
I know that I have really struggled with the anxiety of going out and the possibility of contracting an illness. I haven’t employed the usual tools that I would when looking after my mental health and it has impacted me.
I say all this to say that you cannot pour from an empty cup and when looking to give kindness to others you should first look at being kind to yourself.
Give yourself a break, refresh your mind, make yourself feel good and then you may have the energy to be kind to others. And if that energy doesn’t come, that’s OK too.
Don’t let this week become a competition in being kind to others. This is your journey; your story and you are in control of the narrative. When so many things are out of our control at the moment, let being kind to yourself being the one thing you can control.
If you are struggling this week or any time, here are some resources which may help.
For support in a crisis, text Shout to 85258.