BLOG: Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

In May was this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week. Each year, the Mental Health Foundation decide on a theme for the week and tailor their input around this. This year was “Movement: Moving more for our mental health” and the possibilities to improve mental health and wellbeing within this theme are huge. Previous themes have been key areas such as “Sleep”, “Kindness”, and “Nature” all of which together are key areas to support mental health.

During the Pandemic exercise was one of the few defined reasons that people in the UK were allowed to leave their home. The number of people walking for leisure boomed during the lockdowns. Since, there has been a surge of fitness enthusiasts with nearly half of adults in England reporting spending more time outdoors than before the pandemic. Team sports, which were severely hit by the impact of Covid-19, have overall recovered, some seeing an increase in participation numbers since restrictions were lifted. The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week helps us to recognise the positive impact that movement has on everyone of all ages, from the young to the old.

As the Mental Health Foundation say:

'We know that even the thought of starting “exercise” can be off-putting to many people and that’s why we’re focusing on movement to make you feel good. At a very basic level, physical activity means any movement of your body that uses your muscles and expends energy. One of the great things about moving more is that there are possibilities to suit almost everyone.'

Personally, I find that there are many barriers to prioritising exercise, feeling too tired or stressed, the cost involved, not having enough time, the bad weather, feeling too anxious to try something new or join a new class. Reframing my thoughts to focus on moving more for my mental health and wellbeing has helped me to see past these barriers and to simply find more moments to move every day, recognising the benefits of these moments and celebrating how they add up.

Tips to move more for your mental health and wellbeing:

• • • As MHF say: ‘Find the Fun! Do you remember the joy and excitement when the school bell rang for break time? We couldn’t wait to get outside to run around and play. As we get older, we sometimes forget that movement can be fun! Instead of thinking of exercise as a chore, embrace your inner child and find the joy in movement. Fun and laughter alongside movement will increase your motivation and the psychological benefits. However you choose to get moving, the best option is usually the one we enjoy the most.’
    • Engage in different types of exercise - sports, swimming, Pilates, cycling, dancing, etc.
    • We know as educators you will likely be on your feet throughout your working day - be mindful of any discomfort and try to incorporate moments where you can stretch or move in a different way to release tension.
    • Try and find moments to move in your every day routine at home - stand rather than sit, stretching, walking, taking the stairs, hoovering, gardening, etc.
    • Include friends, family, and pets - harness the power of the community, it’s much easier to stay motivated if you’re not alone, so make ‘moving more for your mental health’ a social activity. If you have children, exercising together as a family is setting a great example for their future. If you have a dog, taking them for a walk, hike, or to the park are fun ways to get moving.
    • Set yourself small goals to tick off - tracking your achievements can build positive feelings, boosting your mood and confidence.
    • Try something new - if you’re unsure about starting an exercise class take a friend for moral support. Joining a class, sports team, or league can also be a way to meet new people.

A final word from MHF:

'Mental Health Awareness Week is also an important time to explore the ways we can support each other to find our #MomentsForMovement and get the most mental health benefits from movement. We need to find things we enjoy. If it's fun, we'll want to keep doing it. Connecting with others, getting out in nature, planning activity to look forward to are all evidence-based tips we're sharing to help people squeeze the mental health benefits from movement.'

Find more tips on the Mental Health Foundation website

Check out our Wakelet for Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

OR our Wakelet from MHAW 2021 - ‘Nature’

We also have a collection of additional wellbeing resources for staff

Published: July 2024