20th May 2024
Since 2001, the Mental Health Foundation has been leading Mental Health Awareness Week – bringing together the UK to focus on getting good mental health. This year, Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 13th to 19th May 2024 and the theme this year is movement, specifically moving more for our mental health.
Whilst maintaining good mental health all year round is a priority for the team at Myers & Co, Mental Health Awareness Week is a great opportunity for us to regroup and discuss what we can do as individuals, and as a workforce, to maintain our mental wellbeing.
For many of us, our jobs mean we spend a lot of time being sedentary and sitting at a desk. According to the Mental Health Foundation, as little as 15 minutes of movement a day has been shown to positively impact mental health. Benefits of movement for mental health range from improved mood, reduced anxiety, lowered inflammation and stress, improved memory and concentration, increased confidence, improved sleep and even increased social connectedness. Release of ‘feel good’ hormones allow us to feel better in our bodies.
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week and give our team the chance to add some extra movement into their days, we were lucky enough to enjoy a self-defence class with Stoke Martial Arts Centre. While these are skills, we hope we’ll never have to use, they’re very useful to have and we had a great time learning the basics of self-defence and getting some exercise in the process!
We should all be looking for opportunities to add extra movement into our days when we are able and feel comfortable to communicate openly when things aren’t good. The Mental Health Foundation is using Mental Health Awareness Week to highlight the barriers some people face when accessing opportunities for movement. We’d like to thank Stoke Martial Arts Centre for giving us the opportunity to get moving this week and would encourage everyone to share their #MomentsForMovement this Mental Health Awareness Week.
It is common to feel alone sometimes and not know where to turn. If you or someone you know is struggling, there are services out there that aim to provide support and help for those struggling with their mental health. You can find out more at Home – Mind and Mental Health Foundation | Everyone deserves good mental health. If you need to speak with someone urgently you can call The Samaritans on 116 123.
