Mental health awareness week: The role of kindness in mental wellbeing

When we're kind to others, we feel calmer and happier (Photo: Shutterstock)

I had had one of the toughest weeks of my life. Not only was my personal life on the brink of disaster but my mental health had suffered a blow like no other. It took all my willpower to hold it together when I was out in public but once I was on my own, the floodgates would open. 

But this morning in particular, I couldn’t pretend to be okay anymore. I felt broken, alone, helpless. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t keep the darkness away. To make matters worse, I was at work so anybody who paid any attention to me would have noticed that I wasn’t okay.