Friendship is a crucial element in protecting our mental health.

And right now, we need each other more than ever.

To celebrate friendship this month’s Action for Happiness’ calendar is Friendly February.

There’s 28 actionable hints and tips on being that little bit friendlier.

With the continuation of this current lockdown, more people are likely to experience mental distress. And when people are experiencing mental health problems, they often want to see their friends less than usual. This can lead to them anticipating rejection from other people and avoiding social contact as a form of ‘self-stigma.’

Which is why it’s so important to keep friendships going. For people in mental distress friendship can be the support they need to recover. A friend can be that ear to talk to, shoulder to lean on and the non-judgemental perspective they need.

I’m going continue the tea drinking BrewMonday theme and organise a ‘virtual tea break’ with friends. A fun way of deciding whose turn to make the office tea can be found here

What friendly February tip are you going to do?

May today be a good mental health day.