The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 was Moving More for Mental Health.
As a Mental Health and Exercise Coach this is my true passion and the reason that I changed career to become a Triathlon Coach in the first place.
Here's some of the resources I shared over on social media to help get us moving more and developing our Mental Health. If you'd like to see more, follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
Here's 5 tips to getting your training actually done:
Next, is exercise actually good for our Mental Health?
We know it can be so powerful and helpful, yet so often we reduce these benefits by turning exercise into a stick to beat ourselves with, telling ourselves we need to be faster, that everyone else is better, that we need to exercise more to justify the calories we ate, worrying what other will think on so on, and on....
What if we learn to challenge those thoughts?
To change the soundtrack in our mind to one that supports us, encourages us, wants the best for us?
What if we set ourselves free to train because we want to? Because it makes us happy? With curiosity, rather than expectations we rarely live up to?
What if we learnt to love and respect our body for all it does for us, squishy bits and all?
Try listening to your thoughts.
Ask if they are helping you. If not, what thought would serve you better?
Don't aim for the complete opposite of the negative thought, just something just a little more positive you can get behind. And build from there.
What if you struggle to change your thoughts for ones that support you better?
It can feel hard and forced to change our thoughts. Try taking a walk through the woods with me instead....
Another simple tool to find the positivity in life
Some more resources
And finally, I wrapped up the week with one of the ugliest posts I have ever done (!) but with the power to be one of the most impactful - Some of my favourite podcasts on how movement, mindfulness, nature and light can help build our mental health, and on changing our thoughts to better support ourselves.
The first 3 on the left are some of the most powerful and inspirational and anything by Maisie Hill is amazing. I would go as far as to say that Maisie Hill and Mo Gawdat and their approach to changing your thoughts have changed my life. I hope they have something of the same power for you.
What about you? What podcasts have stopped you in your tracks or helped you to develop your mental health?
I hope that you find something among these posts helpful.
If you'd like to discuss how to build more movement into your life or how to help break down the barriers that are stopping you, book in for a complimentary call
Comments