Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week starts on Monday (13th – 19th May). This years theme is all about movement and moving more for your mental health.

Think about how much you move on a day to day basis. Particularly when you are at work. Does your job involve a lot of standing and walking about or are you spending most days sitting still at a desk?

What movement do you currently do? Are you an avid runner or is yoga more your thing? Do you prefer to exercise at the gym or is being outdoors your preference?

We have so many options nowadays for exercising and moving more, that we will definitely find something to suit us all and fit in with our lifestyle.

If you have absolutely no idea where to begin and you haven’t done any kind of exercise for years, then please ensure you speak with your doctor first and take it slowly. You need to give your body time to adjust to a new pace of life and ensure you listen to your body and go slow.

If you regularly do exercise but are not rigid in your approach, or are new to it then think where you could add movement to your day. I’m not talking about trying to run 5k or train for a marathon. I’m thinking about finding time to perhaps add 10 star jumps to your day – when you are waiting for the kettle to boil, or 10 squats as you are brushing your teeth or if you have a spare 15 minutes at lunch then go for a walk around the block. It all adds up.

Movement or exercise of any kind should make you feel good and this in turn will have an impact on your mental health. By moving more you will help to reduce stress and increase your energy levels and help yourself sleep better.

You might be feeling low and not be in a good place mentally, which in turn makes you more likely to stay in bed or stay seated on the sofa. But even a little movement which is what this week is about, can have a huge impact. So start small. Why not put on your favourite song and dance around the room, you can just sway to start but as the music goes on and you get into the rhythm, you may find yourself moving your feet and arms more. As the saying goes ‘dance like no one is watching’. As no one is. Or if you have kids, they will love to do this so get them to join in and let go of worrying about doing it right or how you look. There is no right or wrong. Feel that beat and get into the moment. Notice how good you feel afterwards.

If you are not convinced it will make you feel better, write down how you are feeling before you move and how you feel after. You may be surprised. Why not keep a journal. Write down how you are feeling each day before and after or why not set some goals. You might start out walking for 10 minutes and then set a goal and aim for 30 minutes and build up. Or you start doing 5 squats and your goal is to do 20. The timescale to get there is entirely up to you, but be realistic and give yourself time to build up, equally, don’t have a date so far in the future that you aren’t pushing yourself. The balance is to be challenged but not pushed to your limits.

If you want to move more but are sitting at a desk all day and not sure you have time, then look up chair yoga. There are plenty videos on YouTube to explore, you can do these in between meetings or before you start your day or at lunchtimes. You can also do it when watching tv at home.

Now that summer is edging closer and the nights are much lighter, why not go out with friends or family for a walk and explore your local area. Choose somewhere different to go each time and build up some walking routes so you don’t end up doing the same route. Also, think of the chit chat you can have as you go. Talking is great for our mental health and combining it with walking will make it even better and what’s more, you are out in nature. Too many positives to pass this up.

If you’d rather walk or run on your own, add in your music and enjoy movement with music. You can alter the music to suit your mood or to help lift your mood.

There are so many things you can do to bring movement into your day to help with your mental health. It could be as simple as walking to work or parking further away or doing a few laps around the office before you start your day. It’s not about running a marathon, it’s about finding the times throughout the day where you can incorporate movement into, no matter how small.

Whatever you do this week, put your mental health first and move in a way that helps you to feel good.

Have a great week and move more for your mental health.

Look after you.

Love Emma xx