Monday saw the start of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, led by the Mental Health Foundation.
Running from 18 -24 May, the theme of the 2020 Mental Health Awareness Week campaign was kindness, and it has been inspiring to see so many members of our Welsh Judo community committing acts of kindness as we aim to tackle mental health stigmas. From Performance Pathway athlete Jasmine Hacker-Jones sharing her experience as a carer, to our Pre-Cadet & Cadet judoka with their encouraging kindness quotes, we hope to continue holding kindness at the forefront of our minds.
Maintaining good mental health and well-being during the coronavirus lockdown has presented us all with numerous challenges, especially with social-distancing measures limiting our face-to-face interactions with friends and family members outside of our homes. There will be many of us who will have found this extended period of isolation difficult, and many of us who will find the ‘new normal’ that awaits us after lockdown equally challenging.
Resources
There are many resources on offer to help us learn, navigate and take care of our mental health. UK Coaching are providing free access to the Mental Health Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity course. Through to the 31stAugust 2020, use the course to gain the confidence to be able to support people experiencing mental health problems, and help them to thrive inside and outside of your sessions.
The world’s leading source of performance psychology, well-being and mental health content for the sport community, Believe Perform are another fantastic resource. Offering a range of mental fitness online courses, training plans, mental health infographics, articles and podcasts, we are excited to have recently partnered with the organisation to ensure we continue providing our members with the highest standard of support.
With the large majority of society now online, many have also found using apps to be useful. Headspace has hundreds of guided meditations, including ones you can do on the go. It offers mindfulness tips on everything from sleeping better to managing stress.
Like the Headspace app, Calm is an app for sleep, meditation and relaxation to help users get better sleep and lower stress through guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, stretching exercises and relaxing music.
If you are concerned that you are developing or struggling with a mental health problem you may find it helpful to talk to someone you trust. They may be worried about you and welcome the opportunity to talk about it with you.
There are a number of organisations that can support you including:
