Kindness: A gift that keeps on giving
Mental Health Awareness Week 2020
This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme is kindness and it could not have come at a more crucial time. Amid COVID-19 updates there are many heart-warming stories of selfless acts that demonstrate the power of kindness and compassion.
- Captain Tom fundraising over £33M for the NHS!
- Local communities looking out for their elderly or vulnerable neighbours
- Children using their pocket money to make face masks for key workers
- The nation rallying each week to clap for frontline workers And these are just to name a few.
Kindness plays an important role in mental health. It is a positive force that makes you feel like you’re part of something and gives you purpose.
Kindness is a gift that we give and receive but unfortunately it is rarely something we gift to ourselves. As lockdown continues we hear more stories of people struggling with their mental health and alcohol intake. Findings from an Alcohol Change UK survey suggested about 1 in 5 people in the UK are drinking more frequently under lockdown (1).
We know that irrespective of COVID many drinkers can experience guilt and shame and find it difficult to access support due to these feelings. If you are drinking more during lockdown a little bit of kindness may go a long way to kick-start a change.
How to practise kindness
Be kind to yourself
No one is perfect and no one is immune to the effects of stress and other challenging emotions. We are all learning a little bit more about ourselves by simply living through this. There is no need to hide behind feelings of shame, reach out for advice and support if you are finding things difficult. You are not alone.
Positive self talk
Self talk can have a big influence on your mental health and how you feel about yourself. When we use negative thinking styles it can very easily lead us into a rut and keep us there. It is well documented that positive self talk improves mental health and general well-being and helps you deal better with stress and anxiety.(2)
Practise talking to yourself in a positive way, it may seem a little strange at first but practise a sentence each day and you will soon get used to it. There are plenty of daily affirmation apps or websites that can give you some inspiration to help you keep a positive mind-set.
e.g. “I am doing the best I can in this situation and I should be proud of how well I am doing. I do not need alcohol to get me through this situation.”
Be kind by treating yourself
We can be kind to ourselves by learning to recognise our efforts and achievements. We speak to many people who find it helpful to set aside the money they have saved from cutting down their drinking and rewarding themselves with something special. We had one person who managed to save for a holiday abroad by putting aside the money they would have usually spent on alcohol. Make sure the reward is nice so it keeps you motivated.
Show kindness to others
We know how good it feels when we are on the receiving end of a kind act. It feels equally as good, if not better, to be the one demonstrating kindness to others. There is nothing like an act of kindness to boost your mood.
There are so many things we can do at this time to help others that cause no risk to our health and importantly may help us focus on other things apart from drinking. Why not see if there is some local initiative you can take part in or spread kindness in other ways using your skills and interests?
Kindness is definitely a win win! Leave a comment below to share how giving and/or receiving kindness has helped you make changes to your drinking.
And remember you are not alone.
If you need support with your drinking you can download our free app to track and change your drinking, sign up to our 52 Tips for Cutting Down mailing list or you can book a 1-2-1 coaching session with a qualified alcohol specialist.
(2) Healthline