This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week which took place in May focused on the theme of kindness. At BVP, we usually organise Wellness at Work events for our occupiers during Mental Health Awareness Week, however due to the current circumstances we were unable to do so. Instead, we wanted to do something kind for our key workers at Blythe Valley Park.

Our fantastic security, cleaning, landscaping and M&E teams have been continuing to work hard to keep the park open, safe and clean during this time and we are very grateful for their hard work. So we dropped them all a little gift (at a safe distance!) to say thank you. See some pictures below! ?

Kindness and mental health are deeply connected, especially at this time. It’s easy for people to feel disconnected when we are distancing from others, and our lives are so far from the ‘norm’ – however, this doesn’t mean we can’t still carry out small acts of kindness where possible to create a sense of belonging.

The Mental Health Foundation states that kindness helps “reduce stress, brings a fresh perspective and deepens friendships. Kindness to ourselves can prevent shame from corroding our sense of identity and help boost our self-esteem.  Kindness can even improve feelings of confidence and optimism”.

Need some ideas of how to carry out an act of kindness? Here are some below:

• Host a virtual quiz with your friends / family members who may be feeling isolated
• Have a video call with someone who is feeling lonely or struggling with their mental health
• Send a card / flowers to a friend or family member that you miss
• Go on a socially distanced walk with a loved one – our country park is still open for walks, so why not head to BVP!
• Bake or cook a tasty meal for your household

Want to learn more about why kindness was chosen as this years theme? Head to the Mental Health Foundation’s website here: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-week

#KindnessMatters