Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme this year is Kindness. To just stop for a moment and think about the power and potential of simply; being kind. How incredibly poignant at the present time to try and focus on something as influential as this. Small acts or simple actions can mean the world to someone else and most importantly are essential to our own wellbeing.

It is incredible how resilient the mind can be when it needs to, shutting down to protect, opening up to learn and evolve or simply resting to regain energy.  We need to be kind to our minds; they need looking after and we all know the benefits of having a healthy mindset.

However, the feelings of mental fatigue and sense of being overwhelmed are all quite common on a daily basis at the moment. Just when you think you have got through another lock down day, something small can happen and you are right back at the bottom of the positive energy scale!

I have been watching a little in awe at some very clever people offering support to each other in the last few months, unconditionally passing their knowledge and experience to their networks through offers of help. There are now many free and helpful resources which have brought people together collectively, making the feeling of being in our own ‘bubbles’ a little less remote from the rest of the world.

When thinking about what values and behaviours I wanted to embed at the start of the Peony & Magnolia, I spent time writing down what was important to me. How I think HR should be delivered and how every great employer should focus on the mental wellness of their people. There are so many companies who just don’t get this! So, I simply got to the statement~

~ To always show Compassion

I do live and breathe this statement in my everyday life.  I am starting to explore these values a bit more at the moment and think I may start with this one, it feels very fitting at the moment as we all transition through these next few months. Leading with Compassion, how simplified does that sound, but oh how effective could it be!

This week, challenge yourself to be a little kinder. To yourself and towards others and if you see someone going through a struggle, reach out to them or point them in the direction of Mind .  As so many of us are managing to spin the plates of childcare, schooling and work, I have also found some simple but reflective tips for children which can be easily translated to any age level and support through the Children’s Society. https://www.mind-blmk.org.uk/news/mhaw2020/ https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/ https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

This week I pledge that I will challenge myself and the mini P&M members, to setting a daily Kindness Goal. We will write it on the blackboard and reflect at the end of the day if we feel we have achieved it and we can nominate each other for any exceptional acts of kindness that crop up on our journey.

#KindnessMatters, #KindnessBLMK  #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #Leadership #Compassion #Healthymind