Scots are being urged to get active and get online to celebrate
Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from Monday 8th
to Sunday 14th October.
SAMH is running sporting events and online activities throughout
the week because getting active is one of our Five Ways to Better
Mental Health, five simple steps that people up and down the
country are taking to improve their mental wellbeing. The five
ways, based on research by the New Economics Foundation, are:
- Get Active
- Stay Connected
- Take Notice
- Learn
- Give
Throughout the week Get Active events including guided walks,
tennis coaching and football sessions will give people the chance
to experience the benefits of exercise for mental wellbeing. Our
events include:
- On Tuesday 9th October from 2-4pm in the Gorbals Leisure
Centre, Glasgow, there will be a tennis coaching and games session
(suitable for all levels)
- On Thursday 11th October from 1-3pm there will be a drop in
Street Soccer session at Powerleague, Townhead, Glasgow
- In partnership with RSPB, SAMH will be running a guided tour of
Glasgow's Kelvingrove museum and a led walk in Kelvingrove Park
from 2-4pm on Friday 12th October. Participants should meet at the
reception in Kelvingrove Museum at 2pm.
- Ayr United football team will be running a Get Active-themed
five-a-side session
- The Scotland Homeless World Cup Team will be training in Mexico
during Mental Health Awareness Week and will be wearing SAMH
T-shirts on the pitch to show their support
And SAMH is making lots of online resources available to help
people put the Five Ways into practice. We have created a fun online game which lets people pit their
hurdling skills against their friends', whilst also learning about
other good ways to look after their mental wellbeing. An online film voiced by Ruby Wax talks through
the Five Ways. SAMH is also launching a Facebook page so people can discuss their
experiences of good mental health and share their experiences.
Susie Gormley took part in Branching Out, a SAMH Get Active
project based around outdoor activities and run with the Forestry
Commission. She said,
"Being involved with Branching Out really helped me get
back to who I really am. I always felt that Susie kind of got lost
in everything I suddenly had to be - a housewife, a mother - but
for a few hours once a week I did something for myself, I started
to see my personality return to the way I always used to
be".
Billy Watson, Chief Executive at SAMH, said,
"People often think about mental health only in the
context of illness, but we all have mental wellbeing, just as we
all have physical health. Our Five Ways to Better Mental Health
make it easy for anyone to know how to look after their mental and
emotional wellbeing".