Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual campaign coordinated by the Mental Health Foundation, which is taking place 13th- 19th May 2024 and aims to raise awareness of mental health and usually has a targeted theme which changes each year.
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 is ‘Movement: Moving more for our mental health’. Movement is important for our mental health but so many of us struggle to move enough each day. There are many different reasons for this, so Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 aims to help you find moments in your daily life for movement. There are lots of different ways you can introduce movement into your daily life including going for a walk in your local area, dancing to your favourite music in your home, chair exercises or yoga, it all can help to improve your mental health and it’s about finding out what works for you.
5 Ways to Wellbeing
Incorporating movement into our daily lives, or keeping active, is one of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. These are 5 daily actions which have been proven to make a real difference to your mental health and wellbeing. The 5 Ways to Wellbeing are:
- Connect
Connect with people around you; friends, family, colleagues and neighbours at home, work, school or out in your local community - Be Active
As mentioned above, it’s about finding what’s right for you, this could be going for a walk or run, stepping out into your garden, cycling, gardening, dancing or seated exercise. - Take Notice
Be curious and try to catch sight of the world around you including the unusual, changing seasons, the small moments around you and how you’re feeling. - Keep Learning
Try something new, rediscover an old interest, sign up for a new course, or take on a new responsibility at work; learning new things will make you feel more confident as well as being fun. - Give
So something nice for a friend or a strange; thank someone, volunteer your time, hold the door open for someone. Helping others and acts of kindness can be just as much a boost to our own wellbeing as well as those around us.
Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 and get involved
Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual campaign, coordinated by the Mental Health Foundation. Through their website you can find out about the campaign in more detail as well as how you can get involved. Click here to visit the Mental Health Foundation website now.
Looking for mental health support?
If you’re struggling with your own mental health, you are not alone and support is available. Click here to visit our mental health page for more information about mental health, self-help, useful websites and apps as well as local mental health services.
If you’re looking for emotional support, the Samaritans are available 24/7 on freephone number: 116123.
If you are in crisis and need immediate support there is support available, click here to visit our ‘Get Help Now’ page.
