Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 - Kindness Matters in the Scottish Borders

Since the coronavirus arrived we have seen an explosion of kindness across the Borders with many people going the extra mile to support our local communities, helping the most vulnerable people and working hard to make our lives a little brighter during this uncertain time.

The added benefit of helping others is that it is good for our own mental health and wellbeing – it can help to reduce stress and make us feel good. That's why 'kindness' is the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week, taking place from 18-24 May. The week aims to raise awareness of the positive impact that both giving and receiving kindness can make to all of our mental health, particularly in difficult times such as these.

Small acts of support or kindness can make a big difference to people and communities. We want to mark Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 by celebrating the acts of kindness that people have done to support others during the Coronavirus pandemic. Last month Scottish Borders Council reported that hundreds of volunteers have stepped up to help the most vulnerable people in their communities during the pandemic. A total of 57 groups have been supporting the COVID-19 response, working alongside the Community Assistance Hubs carrying out vital tasks such as food and medication deliveries for people who are Shielding or in self-isolation.

At NHS Borders, a huge volume of 'in-kind' donations have been received from the community. Thanks to these incredible donations, the Fundraising Team have been able to go around the wards distributing flavoured water and hand cream to staff as well as dropping off bags of toiletries for patients.

And many other places are reporting a similar response. Berwickshire Housing Association has been running a #ActsOfKindness campaign on its Facebook page, highlighting people who have been going the extra mile to carry out acts of kindness in Berwickshire. Eildon Housing Association has linked up with the homelessness charity Cyrenians to bring more surplus food into our region to support people across our towns and villages. The Link website www.linknews.org.uk and the Red Cross have both been working hard to make sure that people know about the community support and how to access it, as our communities pull together.

Dr Tim Patterson, Director of Public Health, said "It's really positive to see communities pulling together during these uncertain times and so many acts of kindness being carried out. Kindness is really important for our mental health and as well as being kind to others I also encourage people to consider how they can be kind to themselves, accepting offers of help when they need it and considering how they can make time for acts of self-care. The Scottish Borders resource 'Six Ways to Be Well during Coronavirus' features kindness as a theme and encourages people to think about what else they can do to support their mental health and wellbeing during Coronavirus."