Mental Health Awareness Week starts today!

Today (13 May) is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, and this years theme is "Movement: Moving more for our mental health".

Exercise has been proven to reduce anxiety and depression, and it can help us to prevent physical illnesses. Sadly, Rethink Mental Illness found that people living with mental illness die on average 20 years younger than the general population, often from avoidable illness.

Research by Mental Health UK shows that 56% of people found that exercising regularly helped them to alleviate stress and prevent burnout in their lives.

MIND is also launching #NoMindLeftBehind this Mental Health Awareness Week, and are calling on everyone to raise awareness and vital funds for a future where everyone can get quality mental health care when they need it. This is something we can do whilst moving for our mental health, such as a sponsored walk, run, or bike ride for a mental health charity.

Movement is important for our mental health, but so many of us struggle to move enough. The Mental Health Foundation want to help people to find moments for movement in their daily routines.

Moving more for our mental health

Our bodies and minds are connected, which means by looking after ourselves physically, we can help to prevent problems with our mental health.

Movement is a great way to enhance our wellbeing. Even a short 10 minute walk can boost our mood and increase our mental alertness and energy.

Movement helps us to:

• feel better about our bodies and improve self-esteem;
• reduce stress and anxiety;
• sleep better.

Nevertheless life can get busy and it can feel like we do not have time to spend on activities to improve our wellbeing. But finding moments for movement throughout the day might be easier than you think.

You could use the following moments for movements such as marching on the spot, stretching, or trying chair exercises. Waiting for:

• the kettle to boil;
• your children to come out of school;
• a bus to arrive; or
• a delivery.

The Mental Health Foundation also provides tips on how to make this movement achievable:

• set small, achievable goals;
• take breaks from sitting by setting timers for regular breaks to stand up, walk round and stretch your body;
• choose activities you enjoy the most, as this will increase your motivation;
• connect with others, whether that be strengthening personal relationships or making new friends, which is also great for our mental health and wellbeing;
• do not compare yourself to others and how they are moving, be kind to yourself and do not feel pressured to keep up with someone else;
• be mindful about your movement, practising mindfulness whilst moving can really benefit your mental health and wellbeing;
• try movement in nature, as this can have greater positive effects on our wellbeing compared to indoors;
• try a new movement you haven't tried before, as trying new things gives us new opportunities for movement, to make new friends, have fun, and give us a confidence boost;
• plan things to look forward to, as having events and plans in the diary to look forward to is great for our mental health, and adding moments for movement to your diary also helps you to get excited about it;
• listen to music that gets you moving and that you enjoy;
• it can be hard to get yourself moving when your mental health is low, but think of moving more as an act of self-care that will help you to feel good, as movement will give you a huge mood boost;
• take time to rest if you are using a lot of energy and establish a regular, relaxing routine that lets you unwind and sends a signal to your brain that it is time to rest;
• celebrate moments when you have taken care of your body and mind, and reward yourself as this is a powerful way of generating positive thoughts and feelings.

Get involved by moving!

The best way to get moving is to do what you enjoy, whether that is:

• going for a walk in your neighbourhood;
• putting on your favourite music and having a dance;
• chair exercises when watching television or whilst working at your desk.

Mental Health UK have provided the following tips to get moving at work, regardless of whether you work in an office, hybrid, or at home, you could:

• walk or cycle to work instead of taking the car, or even walking to your bus stop to catch the bus;
• take your lunch break outside;
• take walking meetings to promote getting out and moving whilst making business calls, where appropriate;
• get active in your breaks;
• stand up and spend a few minutes stretching;
• use a stand-up desk to reduce sedentary behaviour;
• create after work team activities such as a company football team, or hiring a badminton court.

This year the Mental Health Foundation have also set up a "Around the World" challenge on Strava. To join, people can follow the foundation on Strava and let them know they would like to join the challenge.

The aim is to challenge yourself to accumulate as many miles as possible throughout the month, virtually exploring different countries while raising awareness for mental health, and celebrating the positive impact of physical activity on the mind.

You can commit for a single day, week or the entire month of May and you can decide how to log your miles, either through running, walking, cycling, or any other activity.

For more information on this subject, see:

• Tips for moving more for your mental health;
• Ways to move at work.