Mental Health Awareness Week – Kindness Rocks
Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place 18th-24th May 2020. This week is a reminder to us all to check in on our friends, family and neighbours to ask how they are or how you can support them. It is also a reminder to us all that mental health is just as important as physical health and we need to look after it every day.
Our dedicated practitioners provide support to children, young people, new mums and mums-to-be who are struggling with their mental health on a daily basis and have seen the impact that Covid-19 is having on so many.
Just being able to see a friendly face or know someone is looking out for them can make a difference to someone who is feeling low. Likewise, doing something nice for someone else can really lift your spirits and help you feel connected again; something that a lot of us are missing right now.
This is why this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme of ‘kindness’ is so relevant in our current situation. The Mental Health Foundation which runs the yearly awareness week states:
‘”Kindness strengthens relationships, develops community and deepens solidarity…Kindness is an antidote to isolation and creates a sense of belonging. It helps reduce stress, brings a fresh perspective and deepens friendships.’”
Inspired by the ‘Norfolk Rocks’ treasure-hunt trend, our Point 1 and Link mental health support teams based in Norwich are sharing their own pocket-sized pieces of kindness through an initiative they have created called ‘Kindness Rocks’. They are painting rocks and spreading them around Norwich and beyond for members of the community to find!
Beryl Beane,Senior Practitioner who came up with the idea says:
“Thinking about the theme of kindness, I thought that if someone is feeling down and they decided to go for a walk, hopefully just spotting one of the rocks might be enough to lift their spirits.”
We want to spread this far and wide so wherever you live please do get involved and encourage friends and family members to join in! We work across the East of England so this is not something we want to just keep to Norfolk!
Simply paint a rock with any design you like using the words ‘kindness rocks’ and share your photo with the team on social media @ormistonfamilies using the hashtag #kindnessrocks or by emailing it directly to communications@ormistonfamilies.org.uk. Please share photos of any other rocks you find while out and about in your area. We’d love these rocks to appear in every region we work in!
