Put a smile out there!
– Working together for mental health
Being there for each other is more important than ever. Statistics show that an increasing number of children, youth and adults struggle mentally, and many feel alone with their dark thoughts. We are doing something about this with the project Put a Smile Out There!
Verdensdagen for psykisk helse is October 10th, and in 2022 the theme is:
International focus: Making mental health and well-being for everyone a global priority.
National focus: We need each other #løftblikket
Being left out has a cost
In 2022, the national focus for World Mental Health Day aims to motivate for measures and initiatives that reduce the distance between us. We all have a basic need to belong and be part of a community.
Research shows that having common goals and projects helps increase feelings of belonging and reduces conflicts.
Deborah Borgen’s Foundation has created a project that can create a feeling of belonging and a community across generations, cultures, personalities, opinions and experiences.
We chose to start the project on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2022, and it is a project that we want to focus on throughout the year. One day, one week or one month is not enough!
What is meant by a community
Community is about being part of something bigger than just oneself. It can be a community at home, at work, at school or in kindergarten. We can also be part of a municipality, a team or an association. But we envision an even larger community, where every individual on the planet makes up the greater community.
You can be in a community and still feel lonely and alone. That's when it's important to think bigger. That we are not alone, even if we are physically alone, but we nevertheless are part of a greater mutual connection - a greater community.
As humans, we can communicate beyond what is physical, because we are more than just our physical body. We also communicate with our thoughts. Communicating in a different way allows us to see other people's and our own strengths, and build a strong community.
We can all contribute to the community – Put a smile out there!
It is challenging for many people to feel a sense of belonging in a community. So let's all build a sense of belonging together. A small step and a small action are something everyone can do, and together we can create greater belonging to a community.
All it requires is an action from each one of us. Let's work together and make it come to life. It is when we take physical action that we feel results in ourselves as well. A feeling of contributing is a strong and important feeling for human beings.
These are the steps – how to participate:
Pick up a rock
The greatest insanity is to expect change without making a change. Or as Albert Einstein is quoted: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
By picking up a stone, you take action to participate in a larger community. You know that others are doing the same, and that feeling brings us together. We cannot expect change, if we do create change by taking action.
Draw a smiley face
Once you have done the first action, the next step can begin. Use a marker to draw a smiley face. It will affect your thinking and bring forth a smile and joy. Think that there are many of us who are doing this together to contribute to the community, and that gives hope.
Our thoughts affect our body, our day and our surroundings. And just the thought that others will enjoy seeing the smiley face you are drawing now will also do something for you.
At the same time, it is a simple and easy drawing, which allows our creativity and sense of mastery to flourish.
Think of a good experience
Hold the stone close to you and think about the feeling of being in a community with others. That others will enjoy your contribution. You will lift, delight and give hope to others, and regardless of whether you do not physically meet someone, this will also be a meeting across generations, cultures, personalities, opinions and experiences.
You will also give yourself a good feeling, which you can carry with you. Stay in that feeling for a while and it will affect you and your day. This is also a singular act to promote good mental health. We can fill our heads with all the good things we want. The brain is affected, you are affected and those who notice your stone are affected.
You don't necessarily have to close your eyes when doing this. The most important thing is that you think good thoughts. It is your intention to lift and contribute to others that gives both you and others a good experience.
Don't think that you have to perform or do it in a correct way. That may result in you not doing it at all, because an unpleasant feeling arises. Follow the steps as best you can, bring a marker with you and know that what you do contributes to so many others.
Put a smile out there!
Then the last step remains – Put a smile out there!
Smiling to each other is a good thing, and also creates something nice. Putting a smile out there will create something completely different:
- We ourselves gain from a good thought
- We raise our outward view and give to a community
- Our action helps us to belong to a community
- Everyone contributes to the work
When you meet a smiling stone
Do you see the smiling rock in the picture? When you notice a stone with a smiling face, you get confirmation that you are in a community with others.
If you have not created a smiling stone yourself, perhaps the time has come for you to contribute to the community. As mentioned – it will lift and create hope for yourself and others.
When you notice a smiling rock, feel free to take a photo and post it on social media with #leggutetsmil, #putasmileoutthere. Doing so also creates a digital community.
We need each other now
Mental well-being requires physical action and by taking this small action we can be a part of creating a great and good community.
A few stones don't do the job alone, so we need everyone to get involved and participate. It’s so little effort, and can mean so much to those who need it.
We need each other now, join the effort – Put a smile out there
The project will be updated regularly with developments that you can find under News.