Mental Health and Physical Activity

MIND have reported that 1 in 4 people suffer from mental health issues in any given year, with 1 in 6 people experiencing a mental health problem weekly. These can range from stress and anxiety to more complex issues. A key part of the #GetHullActive campaign is to recognise the benefit of physical activity on both your physical and mental wellbeing.

What counts as physical activity?

Physical activity includes anything that gets you moving more and your heart beating faster. Many find that physical activity contributes to maintain positive mental health or helps. This doesn’t have to be anything sporty. Dancing around the living room, going for a walk or joining in to an exercise tutorial on youtube are a great start. It’s important that what activity you choose works for you and you can start small to help build the habit and see what physical activity excites you.

What are the benefits?

Some of the benefits of physical activity on mental health Physical activity helps release hormones that make you feel better, can lead to improved sleep, provide a positive coping mechanism when dealing with some conditions, reduce the risk of developing depression, improve self-esteem and also help develop social relationships (depending on the activity).

If you are feeling unwell starting a new physical activity can be daunting and it may be best to focus on other things until you feel ready. If you are struggling with mental health it’s always best to talk to someone, this can be a friend, family member or your GP.

Are you a Club looking to support your users with Mental Health?

Mind have created a Toolkit to help clubs come up with ways to create accessible and supported sessions for people who may be struggling with their mental health. This includes information on engaging with these service users and advise on how to make sessions sutainable.