Practice kindness

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Montreal Branch launches the Practice kindness campaign from November 13 to 19, in collaboration with the Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal du CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (DRSP).

The digital campaign aims to raise awareness among Montrealers of the health benefits of kind gestures, motivate them to put them into practice, and reinforce the idea that kindness and good mental health go hand in hand.

Kindness is a word we say, a gesture we make, a behavior we adopt, to take care of others (or ourselves), motivated by a warm and above all genuine feeling. To practice kindness is to demonstrate emotional intelligence.

Kindness surrounds us, but it’s when we’re aware of all the kind gestures we make or receive that the benefits are felt to the full. The more kind gestures we make, the better we feel and the more we want to practice kindness.

Dr. Mylène Drouin, Regional Director of Public Health for Montreal.

It may seem normal to be kind. But, as with all good habits, it’s something you can train yourself to achieve maximum results. Kindness is often underestimated. It’s time to give it back its letters of nobility. Everyone needs it.

Antoine Desrochers, official spokesperson

Antoine Desrochers, Quebec actor, nature lover, activist and builder, joins the Canadian Mental Health Association to talk about kindness.

Maybe you’ve already seen it on the big and small screens, but here it is on an even smaller screen, talking directly to you about big things: How kindness can contribute to personal well-being and develop a better society.

I decided to get involved in this campaign because it’s a paradigm shift from the messages I saw circulating when I was in high school. When I was younger, we were often told what not to do, but we weren’t offered any alternatives. I practice kindness is the positive reversal and evolution of what I saw when I was younger, and it’s an honor for me to be its spokesperson !

Watch the full interview with our campaign spokesperson, accompanied by Fanny Gravel-Patry CMHA Mental Health Promotion Advisor. – Coming soon.

Drop by a YMCA or library near you to pick up our awareness materials !

The graphic design for this campaign was created by Ouiflo.

How can you take part in our campaign?

• Identify kind gestures that you can easily integrate into your daily life
• Put these gestures into practice and see the effect they have on you and others
• Share acts of kindness on your social networks using the keyword #PracticeKindness and tagging the CMHA Montreal Branch account.
• Share our publications on kindness
• Download our virtual participation kit to animate your social networks
• Purchase a book from Bibliothèques de Montréal’s suggested reading list
• Visit our distribution partners (YMCA, Bibliothèques de Montréal) to pick up our promotional material.
• Tell your friends and family about this campaign!

To go even further…

Consult the list below to go even further in your practice of kindness.

• What is mental health ?
  
• What fosters good mental health ? What makes it fragile ?
  
• How do I get help for my mental health ?
  
• What are the most common mental health intervention methods ?
  
• How can I help a loved one who is struggling with their mental health ?

Contest alert – Win a I practice kindness sweater!

Do you practice kindness on a daily basis and want to share this value through your network?

Fill out the following form for your chance to win a campaign sweater!

Thank you to our collaborators and partners for developing this campaign!