We’ve been working with SAMH and Paths for All on their ‘Walking for Wellbeing and Good Mental Health Toolkit’ which is full of great ideas to encourage walking and talking about our mental health.
To find out more about what SAMH are doing to promote physical activity and positive mental health we spoke to Robert Nesbitt, Head of Physical Activity and Sport.
At SAMH we believe everyone deserves the chance to experience the benefits that physical activity can bring to our mental health. We know that people experiencing a mental health problem are less likely to take part in physical activity. That’s why it’s so important for us to promote how we can all look after and improve our mental health through physical activity.
Recently, together with See Me and Paths for All we launched the ‘Walking for Wellbeing and Good Mental Health Toolkit’. In Scotland one in three people don’t meet physical activity recommendations; the great thing about walking is that it’s free, simple and has a positive impact on our mental health and wellbeing.
Across Scotland Paths for All hold free weekly Health Walks, which anyone can go along no matter their age or ability.
The toolkit has been made to help people on Health Walks to talk about mental health as a way to look after their wellbeing.
We know that being physically active or joining a sports club can be challenging for someone with a mental health problem. We listened to over 500 people with lived experiences of mental health problems, helping us understand what the barriers were to being active.
Guided by this, in 2018 we launched Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport. Signing up to the charter means that sporting organisations will work to make physical activity and sport more accessible to everyone by incorporating mental health awareness into their approach.
Since launching the charter we’ve been joined by grassroots to elite clubs, it’s through collective action that we can help more people to look after their physical and mental health. If you’d like to join a local group that has signed up to the charter you can search our Charter Map.
Harnessing the power of football, SAMH’s Changing Room project is bringing men together to tackle mental health. The project, funded by the Movember Foundation has been developed in partnership with Hibs and Hearts football clubs, and with the SPFL Trust.
Too many men in their middle years struggle to talk about their feelings, their mental health and how to ask for help.
The Changing Room helps to build a supportive environment in their football clubs for men to talk about how they are getting on. Physical activity is built in to the 12 week project through group activities like yoga, walking football and stadium walks.
The project’s ambition is to address the issues around men’s mental health aiming to bring about meaningful conversations to ultimately reduce the rate of male suicide. Men in their middle years remain the most at risk to die by suicide each year.
It can be hard to take the first step in getting more active, but It is through initiatives like the new ‘Walking for Wellbeing and Good Mental Health Toolkit’ that we hope everyone, no matter their ability can experience the benefits of physical activity can have on our mental health.
