For Mental Health Awareness week, we are excited to learn and support each other, and promote positive mental health practices and to introduce you to ‘Minute Mash – Up’.
Mental health refers to how we think, feel, and navigate our emotions. Just like taking care of our physical health, it’s crucial to pay attention to our mental well-being too. Mental Health Awareness Week helps us understand the importance of taking care of our minds and emotions, just as we would our bodies.
Before we get moving and into the physical side of things, it’s important to understand why we raise awareness around Mental Health.
Mental Health Awareness Week aims to break the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health. It encourages open conversations, understanding, and acceptance, so that seeking help or support for mental health challenges becomes more accessible and normalised.
This week provides an opportunity to learn more about mental health, its various aspects, and how it can affect our lives. By increasing our knowledge, we can better understand our own feelings and support those around us who may be going through challenging times.
Mental Health Awareness Week emphasises the importance of self-care and healthy coping mechanisms. It encourages activities like exercise, mindfulness, connecting with others, and seeking help when needed. By practicing these habits, we can improve our overall well-being and build resilience.
Physical activity is amazing for your mental health, and here’s why! When you exercise, your body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins act like natural mood boosters, leaving you feeling happier, more relaxed, and less stressed or anxious.
Regular physical activity also helps you sleep better at night, which is super important for managing emotions and feeling refreshed each day. Exercise is like a natural energy boost, too – it can increase your focus and concentration, helping you feel more alert and ready to take on the day’s challenges.
Being active gives you a sense of accomplishment and builds self-confidence. Plus, engaging in sports or group fitness activities can be a great way to make new friends and build a support system – which is so valuable for mental wellbeing. So get moving, have fun, and enjoy all the mental health benefits that physical activity has to offer!
To get you moving and to have a little fun we have come up with a game called ‘Minute Mash – Up’. Throughout the day we challenge you to do a minute of an exercise here and there…. or even a number of exercises if you feel like it. We have created a number of different exercises, which you can download below along with the ‘Wheel of Exercise Fortune’.
Throughout your day or even week, use the ‘Wheel of exercise fortune’ here and use it to find an exercise to complete for 1 minute. If you are not sure of the exercise, refer to the exercise sheet for help.
Lets get moving and feeling better!!
