Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog. I hope this month has been great and that all my readers are doing okay.
October 10th was World Mental Health Day. It is a day dedicated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote awareness of mental health issues worldwide and to rally support for mental health initiatives.
As you all know, my primary objective with this blog is to incite each and every one who reads my articles to take care of their mental health and to also always check on their friends. Therefore, I have been thinking about a few different ways I could mark this month and raise awareness for Mental Health Day in my way, and that’s how I came up with the topic of today’s blog post.
This year has been hard to a lot of us, especially the ones in Haiti. With the atmosphere of extreme violence and uncertainty that has been reigning since the beginning of the year, I’m pretty sure our mental well-being has been significantly impacted. Although most of us may not talk about it, sometimes all we need is for someone to hug us and tell us everything is going to be okay or that we are doing great. A heartfelt gesture, a few words of encouragement have the power to brighten someone’s day and, in the process, transform our own.
Like I said in my article “What happened to society“, today we are witnessing a degradation of society. Society has evolved into a battlefield and we are so consumed by the negativity around us that it’s easy to lose sight of the simple yet profound impact that small acts of kindness can have.
I have been thinking about a few different ways we could bring a smile to a friend’s, a loved one’s or even a stranger’s face and remind them that they matter. I finally came up with those 5 gestures which I will consider like an “homework” for everyone reading this article :
1. Buy/Send someone flowers : Not everyone likes flowers, I know that. But for those who appreciate them, they can symbolize beauty, admiration, love, and gratitude. Receiving flowers automatically bring a smile to the receiver’s face and the first thing they wanna do is inhale their fragrance; It’s like there’s some kind of magic spell associated with that gesture. It brings so much happiness, even though we’re aware that their beauty is fleeting. Last year for my birthday my oldest brother sent me flowers at work. I can’t tell y’all how happy I felt that day, and it’s one gift that I can never forget. It’s priceless.
2. Send a handwritten note : It’s so sad that we stopped sending letters to the ones we love. As much as reading a nice and heartfelt text message can make one happy, there is nothing like a personalized handwritten note. It doesn’t need to be long, just be you and write something to express appreciation to someone who has a positive impact in your life.
3. Make/Send a gift basket : There are thousands of ideas when it comes it care packages or gift baskets. You can find some on Amazon but you can also make them yourself. All you need to do is pick out the person’s favorite snacks or favorite items and put them in a basket or any box that you have. Add a little ruban and voila, you are good to go. There are also small companies that do this; all you have to do is specify what you’d like to add to the basket, what to write on the note, and information about the recipient. They will take care of the rest, delivery included.
4. Donate to someone in need : I recently saw this girl begging in the streets. I stopped and talked to her, she had a baby in her arms and she told me she is only 17 years old. My heart broke when I looked at her and the baby; you could read the sadness on her face. I just wished I could help her more. If you know someone like that and you want to bring a smile to their face, bring them something tangible that they can use: whether it’s clothes, food… whatever it is, just do it.
5. Compliment a stranger : Randomly pick a stranger while you’re out today and compliment them about something, whether it’s their hair, their clothes or anything that you noticed about that person. I guarantee you will get a smile in return and if you don’t, it’s ok, find someone else. Do not give up!
One thing I have learned this year it that time is precious, so always tell and show the ones you love how much you love them. A kind word, a thoughtful gesture, or a heartfelt note can mean the world to someone and make their day a little brighter. So, let’s spread love, kindness, and positivity, not just on special occasions but every day. Once you have completed at least one of these gestures I recommended, come back to this article and let me know in the comments how it went. I really hope you will be able to make a change in someone’s day and I am already feeling so happy and proud that I was able to contribute.
**In case you need a recommendation on where to get flowers or gift baskets, I usually get mines from Kettie (@crazies_arrangements_by_kettie on IG). She does a good job at bringing your ideas into life, as you can see from the gorgeous bouquets at the beginning of this article.
That’s all I have for today peeps! I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don’t forget to share it with friends and family. Until we meet again, stay safe and be blessed… always!!!