Beyond the Badge: How Intentional Kindness at Work Supports Mental Health
- Lola Adeosun
- May 12
- 4 min read
A reflection for International Nurses’ Day 2026 and Mental Health Awareness Week 2026
How does kindness at work support mental health?
Intentional kindness at work reduces the feeling of isolation, eases the weight of a heavy workload, and signals to a colleague that they are seen. Research consistently shows that small, deliberate acts of kindness improve mood, lower stress, and build the kind of psychological safety that helps teams function well, especially in high-pressure environments like healthcare. Kindness is not a soft skill. In workplaces where burnout is common, it is a survival skill.
Every year, International Nurses’ Day on 12 May and Mental Health Awareness Week arrive together. This year they carry an even sharper message. The official theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 is Action, and the theme for International Nurses’ Day 2026 is “Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives.”
Both themes point in the same direction: awareness without action changes nothing. And one of the most powerful actions any of us can take, in a ward, an office, or a team chat, is to practise intentional kindness toward the person standing next to us.
This is not about grand gestures. Sometimes it starts with a question as simple as: “What is one thing I can take off your plate for 20 minutes?”
The Friday that changed my perspective
Let me tell you about a Friday.
We all know that Friday. The one where you had every intention of finishing on time, ticking every box, and actually leaving before the sun started to dip. And then the day had other plans.
That was my Friday a few weeks ago. Between my usual rounds and a string of add-ons that kept appearing from nowhere, I was stretching further and further from any kind of finish line. I still had a meds drop to complete and I had already mentally resigned myself to a late exit.
Then my colleague asked how my visits were going.
I said “OK.” Because that is what you say, isn’t it? But he was watching. And he asked again. And when I mentioned the meds drop almost in passing, he offered to do it for me.
I did not take him seriously at first. I mentally added it to the list and carried on. But he insisted. And in that moment, something shifted. I handed it over.
The relief was immediate. Not just because one task had been lifted, but because someone had seen me, really seen me, in the middle of a busy day, and chosen to do something about it.
And the people who received their medication on time that evening? They were at the end of that kindness too. One act. Multiple ripples.
Why intentional kindness at work matters more than ever in 2026
In healthcare, “busy” is an understatement. Between the charting, the call bells, and the endless caffeine runs, the work does not stop. Nurse burnout is not a possibility, it is a pattern, and it affects the best people in the room.
The Mental Health Foundation’s theme for MHAW 2026 is Action because awareness alone is no longer enough. We know the problem. Now we need to move. And intentional kindness toward colleagues is one of the most immediate, accessible actions any of us can take to improve workplace wellbeing today, without waiting for a policy, a programme, or a budget.
When teams practise intentional kindness toward each other, morale improves, care quality improves, and people stay. Not because the workload gets lighter, but because no one is carrying it alone.
Three small acts of kindness that support workplace wellbeing
You do not need a programme or a policy. You just need one moment, and the willingness to act on it.
The Lend a Hand Move: Notice a colleague who looks underwater. Ask them: “What is one thing I can take off your plate for 20 minutes?” That single question can change the shape of someone’s day.
The Seen Moment: The next time someone says they’re “OK” and you sense they are not, ask again. The second ask is where the real conversation begins.
The Tag-In: Share this post with a colleague who always has your back. Let them know you see them.
We take care of the world. We have to take care of each other first.
This Nurses’ Day and Mental Health Awareness Week, the best thing you can do is not wait for a formal initiative. Look to your left and your right, and ask what one person needs from you today.
The theme this week is Action. Intentional kindness is yours.
Want to keep this conversation going?
Join the Memriz Community of Kindness on WhatsApp, a space for ongoing connection, encouragement, and shared stories of kindness in action: https://www.memriz.online/community-of-kindness
Share your kindness story and experiences with the wider Memriz community at: www.memriz.online
Catch the full story and conversation on the Memriz podcast on YouTube at: @lolaadeosun957
Have a wonderful, kind week.
Lola Adeosun
Founder, Memriz
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