Living with anxiety can be difficult, but there are steps you can make that may help.

Note: It’s important to seek help if you need it. You can contact Samaritans for free by calling 116 123 or by visiting their website. Also, NHS 111 can tell you the right place to get help if you need to see someone. Go to NHS 111 online or call 111.

Get active

Exercise can be hugely beneficial for our mental health as it releases endorphins, helping us to feel good. Many people also find it useful as it occupies their time when they may be having anxious thoughts. You could try a local route to get some fresh air and help clear your mind.

There are many easy ways you can incorporate activity into your daily life. Whether you’re doing star jumps and stretches whilst the kettle is boiling, or trying out a new hobby such as jogging, it all counts.

Another free and convenient way to get moving is getting active at home. Check out our activity finder where you can find a variety of videos and tutorials.

Mind also has some suggestions on other ways to get active at home, such as putting on a music playlist and having a dance around.

Get out in nature

Spending time around nature benefits us both physically and mentally. Getting outdoors and being around greenery naturally helps to calm your mind, as well as giving you fresh air at the same time.

Why not try a new route or nature spot? In one study, 70% of UK adults agreed that being close to nature improves their mood.

Spending time around animals is also a great mood-lifter. If you don’t have a pet, you could try offering to walk a friend’s dog, or joining them on a walk.

Read more about how nature can benefit your mental health.

Focus on your breathing

Mental Health Foundation suggest a breathing technique to help. When you’re having anxious thoughts try focusing on your breathing, concentrating on the feeling of your body as you breathe in and out.

4-7-8 breathing technique:

Close your mouth and quietly breath in through your nose, counting to four in your head. Hold your breath and count to seven. Breathe out through your mouth, making a whoosh sound while counting to eight. Repeat three more times for a total of four breath cycles.

Learn to relax

As well as using breathing techniques, there are many other ways you can help yourself to relax.

Practising mindfulness can help you manage your thoughts, feelings and mental health. Mindfulness exercises are ways of paying attention to the present moment using techniques like meditation, breathing, and yoga.

Pilates is a brilliant way to get active whilst taking it slow and feeling relaxed.

The NHS has a useful audio guide where a doctor explains how you can take control of anxiety.

Keep a diary or journal

It’s important that we don’t try to ignore our worries. Writing down or drawing what’s happening in your life and how it’s affecting you can help you understand what’s triggering your anxiety.

This can also help you better prepare for and manage situations that may cause feelings of anxiety.

Join a support group

Talking with or spending time with people who are experiencing similar feelings to you can be helpful.

You can find details of support groups, forums and helplines on the Anxiety Care UK, Anxiety UK, No More Panic, No Panic and Triumph Over Phobia UK websites.

You could also join Side by Side, Mind’s supportive online community.

If you’re looking for a support group near you, contact Mind’s Infoline. Alternatively you could find your local Mind and contact them directly.

More advice

For more advice on dealing with anxiety, please see the below links:

NHS
Mind
Mental Health UK
Young Minds
Mental Health Foundation

The post Small ways you can help manage feelings of anxiety appeared first on Active My Way.

Endorphins released during exercise also help them to feel better as they trigger a positive feeling in the body.

We know getting the kids active can sometimes be difficult. Check out below some easy, free ways to get them moving, as well as activities that’ll keep them entertained.

10 Minute Shake Up games

Take a look at these fun games inspired by some of their favourite Disney characters, featuring activities they can do both indoors and outdoors.

Indoor games and activities

These games and activities will help children get the 60 minutes of daily physical activity they need.

They also feature even more games their favourite Disney, Pixar and Marvel characters.

YouTube workouts with Joe Wicks

The Body Coach TV has a great selection of playlists full of videos for children, including ‘5 Minute Move’ and ‘PE with Joe’.

Learn to ride a bike with Ready Set Ride

HSBC UK has a brilliant collection of videos designed to get you ready to teach a child to ride a bike, making sure they are set up correctly and as safe as possible.

Table Tennis Kidz

Are you looking for a new way to develop and challenge your child? TT Kidz is an inclusive and accessible programme for children between 7 and 11.

Active Kids Do Better

Get started by using the family-friendly activities and begin moving together in your living room, garden or local park.

They also have a downloadable family pack.

Fun video workouts

GoNoodle have a whole choice of videos and resources for children to follow along and get moving with.

Cosmic Kids Yoga

These fun videos help children with yoga, mindfulness and relaxation. They also have individual playlists for their different session lengths, so you can find one to suit you.

Advice

You can also check out Every Mind Matters’ advice for looking after a child or young person’s mental health.

They also have a page on self-care tips for young people, featuring videos and useful links.

The post Activities to help children’s mental health appeared first on Active My Way.

One in four adults and one in 10 children experience mental illness. [1] However, you don’t have to have a diagnosed mental illness to still have poor wellbeing, as many people do.

Physical activity has huge potential to improve our mental health. Participation in regular physical activity can increase our self-esteem and can reduce anxiety and stress. Endorphins released during exercise also help you to feel better as they trigger a positive feeling in the body.

Regular physical activity may also reduce your likelihood of developing dementia; being active has been shown to help reduce the likelihood of experiencing cognitive decline. [2]

But change is needed. Locally, there is prevalence of poor mental health, particularly in Stoke-on-Trent.

Research has shown that the percentage of adults within depression in Stoke-on-Trent is higher than the average across England.

This is shown by how there are just over 37,000 patients (aged 18 and over) with depression that were registered with general practices in the area covered by Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group in 2018/19. This is 16% of all patients compared with 11.6% across England. [3]

The research also showed that Stoke-on-Trent is less active than the national average; 60.2% of adults aged 19 and over in Stoke-on-Trent met the recommended levels of physical activity in 2019/20, which is significantly below the national average of 66.4%. [4]

Many people have shared their stories online about how they have transformed their mental health through physical activity.

One example of this is Karl, who talks about how the RED January campaign helped him improve his mental health. Karl discusses how attending the event by Mind improved his wellbeing, and enabled him to meet some great people too.

RED January is just one of the brilliant campaigns designed to help people be more active whilst benefiting their mental health.

We at Together Active are working closely with local community organisations and the NHS to help more people support their mental health through physical activity. We recently piloted a programme in schools to help young people at risk of mental health issues improve their confidence and self esteem, and this year’s School Games Festival emphasised the wellbeing of participants. Our Active My Way site has resources specifically to support mental health and has loads of ideas for ways to add more activity to your day. We’ve also supported the roll out of training across the activity sector to improve awareness of mental illness and how to support people experiencing it.

But there’s still so much more to do.

We continue to support efforts to create more opportunities to support mental health through physical activity, and work closely with our partners to make those opportunities as accessible and open as possible.

[1] NHS England
[2] Alzheimer’s Society
[3] Stoke-on-Trent City Council
[4] Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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