Mental Health Awareness Week – Day 1

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is Kindness. Kindness and our mental health are deeply connected and kindness can be an antidote to isolation and create a sense of belonging.

We have created ‘Kindness Sessions’ and we will be posting these on our website each day this week. These sessions will support the positive impact of kindness through self-care which can help boost our self-esteem and wellbeing. 

One act of kindness leads to many more. We have been remembering acts of kindness that have touched, inspired or encouraged us to do something kind ourselves. We will share our ‘Kindness Stories’ on social media and encourage our community to be brave and share their own story using #KindnessMatters and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek. Please follow us and join in the conversation, this could be kindness you have received or given, or how you are kind to yourself through self-care tips, we’d love to hear them all.

Be sure to pop back every day to enjoy another session of self-care because #KindnesssMatters

Mindful Walking Exercise

Exercise is good for you. So good that when we do it, our body sends happy chemicals to our brains to make us feel good. However we don’t need to go to a gym to get exercise, and during the current lockdown we can’t go.

If you are able to go out for a walk today you could try this mindful walking exercise.

• As you are walking use your senses to become aware of your surroundings and absorb the sights, smells of what’s around you.
• Feel the connection of your body to the ground on each step, notice how your arms feel by your sides, how they are swinging or if they are still.
• Find a walking rhythm that suits your body and your balance and enjoy the experience.
• You can notice your breathing pattern, maybe it changes as you walk up a hill or as you take a deep breath to smell a flower.
• Notice any emotions or feelings you are experiencing and let them be. If your mind is feeling busy let your thoughts arise and return your focus to the sensations you are feeling and the colours that surround you.
• Look around you at the shapes of the buildings or the beautiful colours of nature.

I’ve discovered a new world on my doorstep, a place I’d never noticed before, it’s full of trees, flowers and birds.

Share photos from your walk

We’d love to see the photos you take on your walks and share them on this page, you can email them in to [email protected] or if you’re on social media you could post your photos (please tag us in to make sure we see them). You can use #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and #KindnessMatters to help spread the importance of looking after your mental health.

Diane has been exploring her local area and has sent in some lovely photos which she has titled ‘Rochdale in Lockdown’. Thank you Diane for sending your beautiful photos in. Please click on each photo to view them larger.

Enjoying your walks?

If you enjoy your walks you can join in on the Walking Minds group. It is not active at the moment due to social distancing rules but once it is safe for them to gather again you would be welcome to join the group.

Please contact Lee Marshall, our walking volunteer and he’d be happy to let you know what the plans are for the future on [email protected]

Posted on: 18th May 2020