Celebrating hope and finding solace
Minding our mental health at moments like these is so important - and, in a year like 2020, that starts with kindness. Being kind to ourselves helps us to take pause, acknowledge how we feel, introduce or refresh practices to look after our wellbeing, and renew ourselves. Being kind to others empowers us to reconnect with and reengergise those around us, forge new bonds, and find solace together.
So, we're inviting you to join us for 12 Days of Kindmas as an opportunity to consider how we're all feeling, spread messages of hope and solidarity, and provide some relief and restoration this winter season.
From 8 December 2020, for each of the 12 days of the campaign, we shared insights and tips from our team on how we can foster kindness and compassion for ourselves and one another, develop coping strategies for the challenges we've faced in recent months, and refresh and revive ourselves to prepare for a more mentally healthy new year ahead.
After launching the campaign on Day One, we shared lots more news, resources and ways to get involved over the 12 days, which you can catch up on below.
Practicing self-care and mindfulness
Taking time out for self-kindness and showing ourselves empathy helps us to focus on considering what we can do to really make ourselves feel good. Whether it's setting a few minutes or hours aside for a relaxing activity or trying out a grounding mindfulness practice, we have lots of tips and ideas that will help you to get started in making yourself and your wellbeing a priority this winter.
Minding our mental health
Celebrating kindness
2020 has impacted our ability to spend time with our family, friends and loved ones, but, with some simple acts of kindness, we can extend the hand of friendship, support and love. These acts show we care and give us and those we care for a real boost. From something as simple as sending a text to neighbours to check if there's anything they need help with to pairing up with a friend to learn a new skill online, there are lots of ways we can let people know we're thinking of them - and our #12DaysOfKindmas campaign celebrates these!
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Encouraging random acts of kindness
Staying safe and helping to suppress the COVID-19 virus has meant fewer hugs, less time with our loved ones and our spirits feeling down from time to time. But don’t forget - there are some clever ways that we can extend the hand of friendship, community and love while protecting ourselves and each other.
Enjoy these random act of kindness ideas to brighten your and someone else’s day.
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Celebrating kindness
We began our #12DaysOfKindmas campaign by inviting you to tell us of someone who has made a difference to you with their acts of kindness. By taking part, you were in to win a gift of an AVOCA Christmas candle and paper-chain kit for both you and that special person.
While the competition is now closed, you can look back on some of the acts of kindness you celebrated with us here.
Sending good wishes
We're sharing a free eCard which you can use to send best wishes to friends and family, letting them know that they are in your thoughts. While we might not physically be able to be with those we love as we would like to be at this time of year, taking a few minutes to share a special message with them is just one way we can show them that we are still together. Click on the links below to download a card which you can send to those in your thoughts by email or on social media. Use the hashtag #12DaysOfKindmas to help spread the positivity!
Expressing gratitude
For so many of us, our home, working and social lives look very different today to how they did in January of this year, and we have been through experiences and felt losses that we couldn't have foreseen or prepared for. In such a turbulent year, taking a few minutes to reflect on both the people and the little things that we're grateful for can make a big difference to us. Whether it’s enjoying a long-overdue phone call with a friend, being thankful for feeling well, or appreciating an act of kindness someone has done for you, acknowledging these moments and remembering these pockets of joy can brighten our days and give us positive boosts.
