This month we’re celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week, happening from 18th – 24th May. The theme this year is kindness, and it couldn’t be more relevant. With most of the UK impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve never been more disconnected from one another. Yet, astonishingly, we’ve fought back and proven once again that the human race will always demonstrate kindness and survive adversity.
Protecting our mental health is going to be more important now than ever. The key to unlocking strength and consolidating our solidarity as one community is kindness. By working together, we can bolster each other’s mental health and make a real difference.
So how can event organisers celebrate the week and put plans in place to support mental health once events are back up and running?
Be kind to your guests
Your regular clients and their guests are likely to be in lockdown with most of the UK workforce. But that doesn’t mean you can’t show you’re thinking about them.
Why not put together a kindness kit to send to your clients? This could include a teabag for that all-important cuppa, a sweet treat and framed photograph of the last event you planned for them.
You could also help your clients to organise a virtual event or social call for their regular guests, attendees or customers. We all know that connecting with one another and socialising is great for our mental health, so encourage your customers to do just that.
When events are allowed to go ahead and the industry thrives once again, we anticipate that mental health will become a key consideration for event organisers. Quiet zones, professional counsellors on-site and lower attendee limits are just some of the ways events can support guests.
Be kind to your employees
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, the Mental Health Foundation is encouraging people to be kind to themselves by taking some time out each day to focus on self-care.
We all know that event planners are extremely busy. It’s a stressful profession, and no doubt your employees are feeling the heat. You can encourage your employees to take part in Mental Health Awareness week by organising some office activities. This means everyone can take part, but separately. Maybe online yoga classes one lunchtime, or a virtual bake off? Pick a recipe and show off your creations during your Monday morning team briefing!
Why not give your employees a certain amount of time each day or weekly to spend doing something they love, or taking part in a new activity? They will feel refreshed and motivated to do their best while at work if they’re given time out to look after themselves.
Be kind to yourself
Don’t be afraid to take a step back and take time to yourself. Everyone experiences burnout and you must learn to recognise signs of stress within yourself.
This Mental Health Awareness Week, challenge yourself to take part in a random act of kindness each day. And challenge yourself to spot acts of kindness and be appreciative of them, too. For example, phone a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while or tell someone you live with why you’re grateful for their help. Donate to charity, or offer to skill-share via conference call with someone looking to get into the events industry. There are lots of extra ideas in the Mental Health Awareness Week Supporter Pack.
And tip number one? Talk! Let people know how you’re feeling, and encourage them to share their thoughts and worries with you too. It’s important we all look after each other and demonstrate kindness in order to improve our mental wellbeing.
Keep up to date with the Insure Our Event team. We’re keeping our Insta feed full of fun content to keep you entertained during lockdown. Come say hello!
