Mental health is a key part of the Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum, yet is it too often forgotten about. We hope this blog helps teachers, young people and parents discuss mental health proactively and positively.
People often view exercise and movement as something you have to do. In our fast-paced world, there never seems to be enough time to schedule it in. But, what if we shifted our perspective from movement being something we have to do to something we get to do? What if we saw exercise as a powerful tool to regulate and understand our mental health? Movement helps us reduce stress and anxiety, put ourselves first and build our confidence.
Mental health is a vital part of the Relationships and Sex Education curriculum and relates to many other central topics such as building healthy relationships and self-worth.
To delve deeper into this topic, we asked several young people who are deeply passionate about movement and mental health questions about their personal experiences. Here’s what they had to say.
Q1. How has movement/exercise played a role in your personal journey with your mental health and wellbeing?
Paige, 21:
“Exercising really helps boost my self esteem and confidence because it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, the fact that it is hard and I still do it and succeed really makes me feel more resilient as I prove to myself I can do hard things. That helps me when I’m facing difficulties in other areas of my life because I have proven to myself over and over that I can do hard things.
“It gives me a focus and a way to quiet my mind because in that short hour or even 20 mins my mind is focused on my body and breathing.”
Jon, 24:
“I believe that exercise is inexorably tied to mental health. As someone who suffers from a chronic disability, I would say that it does reinforce my mental health.
“However, strong mental fortitude is a requirement in conjunction with that as a strong basis for 'good' mental health with varying importance - friends, activities, financial stability, etc.”
Q2. Is there a specific sport or practice that you find helps you maintain your mental health or reduce stress?
Samuel, 23:
"Running allows me to continuously go up against a difficult task which requires endurance and perseverance to conquer it. I am able to use the lessons learnt from this particular intense psychological exercise and apply them to my everyday life”.
Nelson, 27, amateur boxer:
“Boxing helps me manage my stress and de-stress after work and provides a focus for me to continually improve. It is a physical and mental outlet and on fight nights, I get to show all the hard work and dedication I’ve put in.”
Jon, 24:
“I like to run and cycle for cardio but my main source of exercise is weightlifting (in the gym specifically.) I practise mixed martial arts on occasion. I feel like doing those activities (with a bit of music) helps to give me a bit of perspective on life."
Q3. What do you think are some misconceptions about the relationship between exercise and mental health? What are some ways they can be addressed?
Jon, 24:
“I feel a lot of people overemphasise ‘exercise, exercise, exercise’ instead of mental therapeutic healing. I believe the common misconception is ‘if I am in control of my own body I am in control of my mind’. If you are not striking a balance between the body and the mind, how can one be whole? If you meditate, engage in therapeutic practices and look after your body you might be able to address the difficulty they have in addressing the quality of mental health.”
Ameria, 29:
“I think that a lot of people expect exercise to have an instantaneous effect and get discouraged as a result when that is not the case. Movement can help with mindfulness, calming the mind and having a better connection to our bodies, as a result this can help with addressing stressors in our lives.”
Q4. What advice would you offer to someone who finds it difficult to include exercise into their regular routine yet is struggling with their mental health?
Jon, 24, amateur kickboxer:
“That it's ok. I certainly don't have time to do all the exercise and practices that I do and sometimes it may feel daunting. But you know your body more than I ever will so exercise in accordance to your schedule, body and mind. It's ok to be flexible… but you also must be honest with yourself.”
Paige, 21:
“Understand that it is normal to struggle with fitting it in or finding the motivation when you are feeling low. Trying to do something is what matters. Even if that means you just do something once a week for 20 mins. The point is that you are trying and that puts you so much closer to feeling better with your mental health than you think. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you didn’t do what was planned or it was shorter than you would’ve liked because as time goes on it will get better.
“Things that are really helpful are preparing as much as possible and having small goals. For example, setting out clothes and shoes beforehand and a small goal of just going to the gym and having a look around (or whatever feels manageable). Having rewards is also important.
“Also, not every form of exercise is going to work for everyone. You have to find the right one for you and maybe it changes overtime.There are so many options like swimming , running, walking, strength training, boxing , gymnastics etc…”
During the summer break, we can make a commitment to ourselves to nurture our mental health through movement. A walk in nature, a calming yoga session, a dance class, or following a 10 minute video are all ways to incorporate movement into our lives. Movement is not a cure for mental illness but is instead vital for it.
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