Mental Health Awareness Week
Posted on 17 May 2020
While we are all dealing with significant challenges, we're marking the Mental Health Foundation's Mental Health Awareness Week. Usually, there are events and activities taking place across campus but, this year, we're introducing an activity you can do where you are now.
Celebrating kindness
Has someone made a real difference to you or your community through an act of kindness? Throughout Mental Health Awareness Week, we will be celebrating acts of kindness within our community, both big and small, using #yorkindness on social media.
We would also like to make Thursday 21 May #ThankYouThursday - if someone has made a real difference, why not thank them? Send them a thank you card, or hand-write a note, take a photo of it and send it to them!
Download a Yorkindness card (PDF 
, 4,713kb)
Being kind to yourself
Sarinrat Thomas, a Mental Health Practitioner from the Open Door Team, explains why it’s important to practise self-kindness and compassion, and gives techniques to help you achieve this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1FZsS47F9Y
Take part in wellbeing research
Professor Christina Van Der Feltz-Cornelis and her research team, based in the Department of Health Sciences and Hull York Medical School, are conducting an academic study, which aims to explore how individuals respond to work stress and difference levels of resilience including the impact of COVID-19 on work and studying, with the aim of diminishing work-stress and preventing work-related mental disorders.
The survey takes approximately 15-30 minutes to complete. If you would like further information, please contact Danielle Varley, PhD candidate Health Sciences (danielle.varley@york.ac.uk).
Kindness boosts your wellbeing
Giving and connecting with others are two of the NHS's Five steps to mental wellbeing, a set of five research-based steps that anyone can take to help support and maintain their wellbeing.
Find out more:
- Five reasons why being kind makes you feel good according to science (The Conversation)
Help and support
We are all facing tremendous challenges to our mental health at the moment and the University Employee Assistance Programme is available to you. You could also speak to someone who is a member of the Mental Health First Contact, a network of trained staff who are a first point of contact if you are experiencing emotional or psychological distress.