Mental Health Awareness Week – Movement: Moving more for our mental health
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is, “Movement: Moving more for our mental health.”
The Mental Health Foundation says, “One of the most important things you can do to help protect your mental health is regular movement. Moving more can increase your energy, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost your self-esteem.”
In support of this year’s theme, members of the HIWM team are sharing their #MomentsForMovement.
Tammy Holmes, Associate Director – Economic Growth
“Most people know already that I really am a massive advocate for moving for mental health in fact I am not sure I would have been able to deal with my recent challenges with anxiety without running or going to the gym!”
“I train for mad competitions such as Hyrox. This means I have a variety of activities that can take as little as 30-120 minutes and I can fit around my working day. This mainly involves running and going to the gym to lift heavy weights, push heavy objects and sometimes even throw them! I even schedule my PT session first thing on a Monday so it sets me up for the right mindset for the week. It keeps me accountable for my mindset and my health.
For me it’s about taking time out to have ‘me’ time to rebalance and refocus. Work-wise especially we can often get so overwhelmed and blinkered that we lose all perspective on the task in hand. By being able to walk away and get the body moving it can help us gain some perspective and often come up with new approaches and solutions we wouldn’t have done by sitting at a desk.
Not only is it a great way to let off a little bit of frustration but, for me, it’s also a great social activity which is also good for mental health. In fact, me and my friend have a specific running route we call the ranty route, normally ran at a lunch time, and during that 3-5 mile loop (depending on how bad the day/week has been) we just let it all out! Not only does it help to talk things through, we have ran some pretty fast times on that loop on a bad day! We also have a lunchtime run group so you can just find a running buddy if you need a time out!
It also helps that in my mind because I have an overall training goal of beating my personal time at a Hyrox competition, the time I spend on ‘me’ and dealing with my anxiety is also productive.”
Dr Joe Robinson, Innovation Project Manager
“I find walking beneficial for my mental health. I enjoy the fresh air, doing some physical activity, and spending time on my own or with family. I would recommend walking to anyone as it gets you out of the house, it gives you time to think, or to be social – you can call a friend or walk and talk with someone.“
Dale Jenkins-Lyons, Assistant Project Manager
“I’m a big advocate for sport and it really helps me with my mental health. I recently did a trip to Nepal and hiked up to Annapurna Base Camp and I’m now training for a series of cycling events including the Carten100 and the Dragon ride (120 miles of Welsh hills).”
Claudia Li, Assistant Project Manager
“Roller derby is an intense sport that requires you to switch off from everything else going on in your life to focus on the chaos on the track. It has pushed me in ways I’ve never been pushed before and having to pick myself back up has taught me that falling over (often literally) is just part of the process. Channelling any stress from the day into positive aggression, I finish every session feeling the best paradoxical combination of rejuvenated and exhausted.
Having never really participated in any sport teams growing up, it has been a breath of fresh air to experience that feeling of camaraderie. I am surrounded by amazing teammates who do incredible things both on and off the track, which fuels my drive to keep on improving.
Roller derby is also an incredibly inclusive sport, where your individual strengths and differences are celebrated, and used to develop your own play style. Living in a society that is often too focused on aesthetic body goals, playing roller derby has helped me to look past what my body looks like, and appreciate my body more for what it can do, and how strong it can be.”
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week is, “Movement: Moving more for our mental health.”
The Mental Health Foundation says, “One of the most important things you can do to help protect your mental health is regular movement. Moving more can increase your energy, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost your self-esteem.”
In support of this year’s theme, members of the HIWM team are sharing their #MomentsForMovement.
Tammy Holmes, Associate Director – Economic Growth
“Most people know already that I really am a massive advocate for moving for mental health in fact I am not sure I would have been able to deal with my recent challenges with anxiety without running or going to the gym!”
“I train for mad competitions such as Hyrox. This means I have a variety of activities that can take as little as 30-120 minutes and I can fit around my working day. This mainly involves running and going to the gym to lift heavy weights, push heavy objects and sometimes even throw them! I even schedule my PT session first thing on a Monday so it sets me up for the right mindset for the week. It keeps me accountable for my mindset and my health.
For me it’s about taking time out to have ‘me’ time to rebalance and refocus. Work-wise especially we can often get so overwhelmed and blinkered that we lose all perspective on the task in hand. By being able to walk away and get the body moving it can help us gain some perspective and often come up with new approaches and solutions we wouldn’t have done by sitting at a desk.
Not only is it a great way to let off a little bit of frustration but, for me, it’s also a great social activity which is also good for mental health. In fact, me and my friend have a specific running route we call the ranty route, normally ran at a lunch time, and during that 3-5 mile loop (depending on how bad the day/week has been) we just let it all out! Not only does it help to talk things through, we have ran some pretty fast times on that loop on a bad day! We also have a lunchtime run group so you can just find a running buddy if you need a time out!
It also helps that in my mind because I have an overall training goal of beating my personal time at a Hyrox competition, the time I spend on ‘me’ and dealing with my anxiety is also productive.”
Dr Joe Robinson, Innovation Project Manager
“I find walking beneficial for my mental health. I enjoy the fresh air, doing some physical activity, and spending time on my own or with family. I would recommend walking to anyone as it gets you out of the house, it gives you time to think, or to be social – you can call a friend or walk and talk with someone.“
Dale Jenkins-Lyons, Assistant Project Manager
“I’m a big advocate for sport and it really helps me with my mental health. I recently did a trip to Nepal and hiked up to Annapurna Base Camp and I’m now training for a series of cycling events including the Carten100 and the Dragon ride (120 miles of Welsh hills).”
Claudia Li, Assistant Project Manager
“Roller derby is an intense sport that requires you to switch off from everything else going on in your life to focus on the chaos on the track. It has pushed me in ways I’ve never been pushed before and having to pick myself back up has taught me that falling over (often literally) is just part of the process. Channelling any stress from the day into positive aggression, I finish every session feeling the best paradoxical combination of rejuvenated and exhausted.
Having never really participated in any sport teams growing up, it has been a breath of fresh air to experience that feeling of camaraderie. I am surrounded by amazing teammates who do incredible things both on and off the track, which fuels my drive to keep on improving.
Roller derby is also an incredibly inclusive sport, where your individual strengths and differences are celebrated, and used to develop your own play style. Living in a society that is often too focused on aesthetic body goals, playing roller derby has helped me to look past what my body looks like, and appreciate my body more for what it can do, and how strong it can be.”