Mental Health Awareness Week

Swettenham Chemists is proud to support Mental Health Awareness week - 13th - 20th May. We are sharing information via our social media channels and website from local mental health support organisations and also the Mental Health Awareness Trust.

The awareness week is run by the Mental Health Foundation, which started it in 2001.

Since 2001, the Mental Health Foundation has been leading Mental Health Awareness Week - bringing together the UK to focus on getting good mental health. Each May, millions of people from every part of society take part. They include people in schools and further education; private, public and charity sectors; families and individuals. The theme for the week this year is "Movement."

Moving more is good for our mental health, so what's stopping us?

Regular physical activity is known to improve mental health, quality of life, and wellbeing. It also helps prevent and treat heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer, and more. Despite these benefits being well established, over a third of UK adults do not meet the recommended amount of activity.

In our new report, we explore what’s stopping the UK population from being more active, and what could help get people moving more for their mental health.

Why movement?

One of the most important things we can do to help protect our mental health is regular movement.

Our bodies and our minds are connected, so looking after ourselves physically also helps us prevent problems with our mental health. Exercise releases “feel good” hormones that reduce feelings of stress and anger. It also helps us feel better about our bodies. It can improve our sleep too. If it involves other people, like being part of a team, a class or group we see regularly, that can also boost our mental health.

Despite these benefits, so many of us struggle to move enough. We know there are many different reasons for this, so this Mental Health Awareness Week we want to help people to find moments for movement in their daily routines.

To read more on this year's Mental Health Awareness Week visit:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week