7th April 2020
| Mallory Gray
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Quite rightly there’s a lot of emphasis on mental health now.
GENERAL ADVICE
Managing
Your Mental Wellbeing
Mind, the national mental health charity, has fiveways to wellbeing which are really simple:
-
Connect – contact people by phone rather than email
if you can. Ask them how they are and take the time to listen. Use video
calls when possible so that you have the additional social benefit of seeing
people’s emotions and reactions to discussions.
- Be Active – physical activity has a positive impact on
mental wellbeing. See tips from
Sport England if you are in isolation, or join in with Joe Wicks and his PE
classes at 9am. If you are not in isolation, then make sure you get
outside every day and try to achieve 30 minutes of elevated heart rate
activity each day.
-
Take notice – be in the moment and look around you.
If you can sit and take a few minutes in a green space – your garden or the
local park, being close to nature is known to improve wellbeing. Make sure
you take a pause every now and then and breathe deeply.
-
Learn –being inquisitive
and try learning new skills or enhance the ones you
have – there are some ideas for courses below.
- Give – people who help others tend to be happier.
Think of acts of kindness you can do for others. Have you checked in with your
neighbours?
Managing
Stress and Anxiety
If you or people close to you are feeling worried
and anxious, here are some tips to help you:
·
Try to limit the amount of time you spend reading
or watching things which aren't making you feel better. Perhaps decide on a
specific time to check in with the news
·
There is a lot of misinformation swirling around -
stay informed by sticking to trusted sources of information such
as Government and NHS websites
·
Try to mute key words which you feel might be
triggering you to worry or feel anxious on Twitter and unfollow or
mute accounts on Twitter and Instagram. Mute WhatsApp groups and hide
Facebook posts and feeds if you find them too overwhelming
·
Be aware you will have days that are better than
others, recognise when you are having a day that is not going so
well, acknowledge it and that it will pass
- Click here for
recommended free apps to help reduce stress and anxiety and lift your mood
·
- Click here for 10
Tips to help manage concerns about coronavirus and managing anxiety
·
- Click here for
more information from the NHS about stress, anxiety, and depression
Courses
MentalHealth Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity
This course,
developed by Mind and UK Coaching is usually £18 but is now free until 31st
August 2020. Gain the confidence to be able to support people experiencing
mental health problems and help them to thrive inside and outside of sport. You will also get access to an extensive bank of
resources that you can start using straight away. The course has been awarded 3
CPD points by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical
Activity (CIMSPA).
Exerciseand Mental Health (Open University)
Exercise is an alternative treatment to medication that is
low cost and has few side effects. In this free course, “Exercise and Mental
Health”, you will look at the links between exercise and improved mental health
and psychological well-being. This will include consideration of the role of
exercise in combating stress, anxiety, and depression, and in enhancing mood.
LATEST UPDATE 19 MAY:-
With the lockdown continuing and cricket still ‘pending’, it
is apt that Mental Health Week is currently with us.
UK Coaching in partnership with MIND have for a limited
period provided free access to their online Mental Health Awareness for
Sport and Physical Activity. This is normally £18 but is free until
the end of August (you will need to complete the free registration process).
Click here –MentalHealth Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity
Below are further UK Coaching resources, again all are free:
Please feel free to circulate and encourage club members,
coaches or others to access and make use of these resources.
During #MentalHealthWeek try to discuss mental health with
others – it is good to talk!
Here’s some support you can access and distribute: