Mental Health and Why We All Need Community
Operation Connect-at-Christmas.
Over the Christmas period, we are going to be raising awareness and funds for the mental health charity Mind.
When it comes to having good mental health, one of the biggest contributors towards it, is a feeling of community. Surrounded by friends, positive work colleagues, or supportive family members, our brain functions with greater creativity, emotional intelligence, and problem solving abilities. In effect, it functions normally. We are social creatures, and are not meant to operate completely autonomously from others. When we feel isolated or overwhelmed, or depressed, we are more likely to get sick, to be less productive, and more likely to recluse further into our shell. A strong, healthy community, can help almost anyone improve their mental state. We intend to do that for anyone who wishes to be part of our gym.
How to Help Someone Right Now:
As the days get shorter, we see the sun less, we get outside less, and spend more time in front of screens, and not with other people, the likelihood of us experiencing mental health problems goes up significantly. It is up to us, to be on the look out, and understand that many will be experiencing some sort of decline, and to help brighten their day.
This could even be by –
- Sending a text to someone who matters to you.
- Inviting them round for tea.
- Taking them out for a walk.
- Meeting them for a coffee.
- Giving them a phone call.
- Sending them flowers or a card.
The principle is to connect.
Far too often, it can be very easy for us to lack interaction on a daily basis with people who really matter in our life. Heightening feelings of insecurity and worthlessness. Without others, it’s much harder to feel ourselves.
Our gym environment brings people together in the interest of bettering societal health, but there are so many other actions that we can take, that make a huge difference to the happiness levels of all people we come into contact with on a daily basis.
Make a difference today, by giving someone a call, or sending them a message, it will make a difference, and in some cases, could mean the difference between life and death. Every two hours, someone in the UK commits suicide.
Make a difference today and do something nice for someone you care about.
How to Get Involved
Playlist donation – During class, if you’d like to choose your own playist, then donate £1 into the box. For that you’ll be able to play the music you want most to the class, for the next 15 minutes. Each fifteen minutes costs £1. If you wanted to play Vivaldi for an hour, then that’s £4 please!
Christmas Day Workout – At Christmas, it can often be the most difficult time for many people. So, in order to combat this, we are going to raise money on the day for the workout running at 10am to 11am. The cost for the workout will be £5 per person. It will be a very simple workout, so if you’d like to bring either spectators, then if they can donate a £1 that would be excellent.
