Mindful Movement: A new project in collaboration with Argyle Community Trust
We are excited to announce that Devon Mind is teaming up with Argyle Community Trust on a new project, Mindful Movement, to help promote, engage, and support our community to be more active. Engaging in physical activity can have real benefits in supporting people’s mental health and we are proud to be joining the national ‘Get Active’ campaign. Since 2021, National Mind has been working in partnership with sports brand ASICS, to build on the vision that physical activity should be used to build resilience, support, and enable mental health recovery and tackle stigma.
As the official charity for Plymouth Argyle Football Club, Argyle Community Trust uses the prestige of football and the reach of the club to inspire, engage, and help people of all ages, achieve their full potential. During the 2021/22 season, Argyle Community Trust delivered over 57,000 hours of positive provision, reaching almost 70,000 local people in need. We are really looking forward to collaborating on this project and reaching new audiences within our local community. You can find out more about their upcoming courses and activities here.
Over the next 12 months, we plan to facilitate several new programmes and will be actively consulting with our service users as to what may be of interest. To launch this new project and partnership, we will be holding an information stand at Plymouth Argyle’s brand-new fan zone, pre-match on Saturday 23rd September — we would love for you to pop over and see us if you are heading to the match.
As part of this project, we also plan to facilitate a number of taster sessions to introduce people to new activities that can help them begin to incorporate some mindful movement into their daily routines. Some of our initial ideas include activities such as cold water swimming, walking groups, walking football, and yoga. You can get involved and help us shape the future service development of this project by completing our short questionnaire here.
Keep a look out on our website and newsletter for further updates about the project and for more information about how you can get involved.
What is physical activity?
Being physically active means sitting down less and moving our bodies more. Many people find that physical activity helps them maintain positive mental health, either on its own or in combination with other treatments. This doesn't have to mean running marathons or training every day at the gym. There are lots of different things you can do to be a bit more active.
How can physical activity help my mental health?
There are many studies that have shown that doing physical activity can improve mental health. For example, it can help with:
Better sleep — by making you feel more tired at the end of the day
Happier moods — physical activity releases feel-good hormones that make you feel better in yourself and give you more energy
Managing stress, anxiety, or intrusive and racing thoughts — doing something physical releases cortisol which helps us manage stress. Being physically active also gives your brain something to focus on and can be a positive coping strategy for difficult times
Better self-esteem — being more active can make you feel better about yourself as you improve and meet your goals
Reducing the risk of depression — studies have shown that doing regular physical activity can reduce the likelihood of experiencing a period of depression
Connecting with others — doing group or team activities can help you meet new and like-minded people, and make new friends.
“I've always found that exercise is the one thing that gets me well again, with depression, it's invaluable. It makes me feel great, just healthy and active. I don't feel as tired or lethargic when I exercise, and it makes me happy and content in myself!”
What if getting active doesn't work for me?
While many people find physical activity helpful, not everyone does. You may find that there are times when it is helpful and times when it isn't. For example: You may not always be able to exercise — if you are unwell, you may need to focus on looking after your mental health in other ways.
If you find that physical activity isn't working for you right now, there are a few things you can do:
Try changing your routine, or doing a different type of activity. Different things work for different people at different times – there are lots of activities you can try.
Do what you can when you can. It's completely normal to have days when you wake up excited about going for a run, and other days when walking upstairs feels like a challenge. It's OK to adapt your physical activity to how you're feeling.
Be gentle with yourself. If you don't manage to do what you were planning, that's OK. Have a break, and try again when you're feeling better.
Try out some other ways of caring for yourself, like relaxation, mindfulness, and getting into nature.
If you're finding that exercise is having a negative impact on your mental health, you may need to take a longer-term break until you're feeling better. If you've tried being physically active and it hasn't helped, it's important not to blame yourself. Looking after your mental health can be really difficult, especially when you're not feeling well. It can take time, but many people find that when they have the right combination of treatments, self-care, and support, it is possible to feel better.
We understand that there can be many barriers to physical activity, particularly for those experiencing mental health difficulties. Throughout this project, we’ll be investigating these barriers in order to help individuals overcome them and provide better support in enabling physical activity to be used as a tool for staying well.
“It calms my mind, it stops me ruminating, it actively lifts my mood and it makes me feel a lot more positive about life.”