During the business of everyday life, it’s essential to pause and reflect on the state of our mental wellbeing. As Mental Health Awareness Week unfolds, we’re reminded of the importance of mental health in our lives and communities. From 13th to 19th May 2024, people come together to raise awareness, provide support, and promote understanding around mental health challenges.
This year’s theme is ‘movement: moving more for our mental health’. One of the most important things we can do to help protect our mental health is regular movement. Looking after ourselves physically also helps to prevent problems with our mental health, and movement is a great way to improve our wellbeing.
Regular physical activity, such as walking or wheeling, can increase self-esteem, improve sleep, and reduce stress and anxiety. It can also play a role in reducing the risk of developing mental health problems.
When life gets busy, it can be tricky to find ways to boost your wellbeing. But finding moments for movement might be easier than you think. Why not use the time you spend waiting to move more? When waiting for the kettle to boil, for your kids to come out of school or for a bus to arrive. These little moments all add up!
Make Monday Matter
We’ve recently launched our “Make Monday Matter” series and this year’s theme is “little by little” where you can think about making a small change at the start of the week to help you stress less. Small changes that benefit your health and wellbeing can have a big impact over time so we’ve put together a webpage giving you lots of simple things you can try to help you stress less. To find out more, visit our stress less page.
May is National Walking Month and to celebrate, our ‘Make Monday Matter’ series is looking at the benefits of walking. Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to improve your health. Even a small amount of physical activity can make a big difference to your health. Don’t worry – you don’t need to walk for hours. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits. Head to our keep well page to find out how you can easily fit walking into your day.
If you’re feeling adventurous and would like to get out and about this Mental Health Awareness Week, you can find more than 350 walking and wheeling events that are taking place across the city region as the Greater Manchester Walking Festival returns. Walk, unwind, and reconnect. Find events local to you.
Healthy Minds
If you’d like to boost your mental wellbeing from home, there is a new way to help. Healthy Minds is a free 1-hour online course to support your mental health and wellbeing. Find out about the difference between mental health and poor mental health, things we can do to help us cope with our negative thoughts and feelings and the benefit of talking and sharing our thoughts and feelings with someone we trust. Access the course here.
Everyone can get the mental health benefits of moving more, it’s all about finding out what works for you. This Mental Health Awareness Week, boost your mood and get moving more by finding simple moments for movement every day. Find lots of tips on the Mental Health Foundation website.
Mental health support
It’s important to remember that if you’re feeling low, anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed, there are lots of things you can do to lift your mood. However, there may be times when you may need a bit of extra help.
Find access to self-help advice and support, for free, by visiting our Get To Know Where To Go page.
If you need mental health advice and support urgently, there are freephone 24/7 crisis helplines for all areas of Greater Manchester.
- Bolton, Manchester, Salford, Trafford and Wigan call 0800 953 0285.
- Bury, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Oldham, Stockport, and Tameside and Glossop call 0800 014 9995.
