This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. This year’s theme is movement, and moving more for our mental health.

Focusing in on five sub-themes; move, discover, bond, motivate and connect, we’re going to mark the occasion this week by focusing in on each. To do this, we’ll explore the benefits #TeamGateshead colleagues feel in relation to each topic.

Helping us do that are our Mental Health First Aiders  (MHFAs). These colleagues act as a point of contact for any #TeamGateshead colleague experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. They offer non-judgegmental listening and guidance as well as signposting. A number of our first aiders kindly got back to us with their thoughts and experiences around each topic. Today we’ll cover ‘Move’ – with the rest to follow over the course of this week.

The mental benefits of movement:

A Unison study revealed that 3 in 10 NHS colleagues had to take time off due to mental health issues in 2023. Prior studies suggested almost half of healthcare workers experienced depression or anxiety over an earlier twelve month peirod.

With studies showing that regular exercise can reduce symptoms of depression by 30%, it is clear that there is benefit to be found by simply moving. And while a good workout routine will do you no harm, research suggests that even just 10 minutes of brisk walking can increase  feelings of alertness and positive mood by up to 20%.

So regardless of whether you’re hitting the gym hard, taking things a little slower at one of our on-site pilates sessions or just getting away from the desk with a walking meeting or lunchtime ponder, it’s clear movement can boost you mentally. And demonstrating it perfectly, here are…

The thoughts of our Mental Health First Aiders

First to share thoughts was our Patient Experience Facilitator, Anya Dyson. Anya shared: “When I’m regularly moving and doing things to help move my body, I feel so much better in my head. Moving helps my joints feel good, and when my joints feel good, my brain stops fixating on pain and I can start thinking more clearly.”

Joint pain can be a barrier for many who are looking to be more active. If you need support, we recommend checking out our dedicated joint pain guides over on our Physiotherapy page. You may also want to consider a physiotherapy referral – to do this, just visit the Occupational Health and Wellbeing pages on StaffZone.

Away from barriers, finding easy and convenient ways to keep fit can helpful in staying active. Lisa English, Senior Programme Lead (clinical) notes: “I have a dog and getting out for a morning walk before and after work helps me to relax”, while Anya echoes the sentiment noting: “Yoga and Qigong are a great way to move without cost or even having to leave the home.” Of course, colleagues interested in such activities might also be interested in accessing them at work – which they can do through our on-site pilates!

Elsewhere, Gillian Nichol, Senior Biomedical Scientist (Microbiology) takes a mixed approach, explaining: “I run with a local running club one or two times per week, as well as other days or evenings with friends, or on my own. This all helps me to ‘switch off’ and unwind.”

Expanding further on the benefits of being active, District Nurse, Beverley Hope sums things up well noting that being moving “improves mood and encourages motivation”, and Chaplain, Joan Urwin, expands that: “Regular exercise helps you switch off from the stress of work. Your brain is focusing on something totally separate when exercising. This helps aid a better sleep and in losing weight (which is making me feel better about myself personally).”

Regular exercise is something that comes natural to our Undergraduate Programme Support Assistant, Emily Ramshaw, who explains: “I’m a qualified personal trainer and do a lot of movement outside of my job role at the NHS. However, I started to find that sitting for prolonged periods of the day at my desk was having a negative impact on my wellbeing and made me less motivated to stay active once I got home from work.”

Overcoming those issues, Emily continues: “Luckily, at Gateshead we have a fab team in ergonomics, who then referred me on to the Occupational Health Physiotherapy service. Despite having no specific physio problems, I found it really useful to speak with John Gowland and reinforce how important it is to move throughout the day. Since that chat, I’ve made changes to my routine and take regular breaks from my desk, and it’s done me the world of good!”

Summarising her thoughts on the importance of movement, Emily finishes: “I now feel more focused when I sit back down and weirdly less tired. I’ve always known the benefits of regular exercise, but we easily forget the benefits of small movements when at work. It’s not always about the big exercise classes – the small things can make a huge difference!”

And rounding us off, Michelle Cummings highlights the visible change of moving more, as she rounds off: “My boyfriend described me as a different person when I’m making positive choices in my life. Exercise, eating well and sleeping well. I’m much more myself and less stressed about things like feeling uncomfortable in my clothes because I’ve made bad choices food wise.”

Join us!

We’re extremely grateful for the help our Mental Health First Aiders have provided us in helping make this series of articles. Raising the profile of mental health in the workplace is a key responsibility of our MHFAs, alongside providing support and signposting where appropriate – and we’re always looking for more!

To find out more about the role of MHFAs, it’s well worth checking out our recent item on them here.

Alternatively, if you’d like to play your part in helping us build a more supportive workplace, you might want to become a First Aider yourself. For line managers, we’ve even launched a new dedicated 1-day session. To check out dates, times and locations of these sessions and sign-up, just use our dedicated registration form.