This week we take a look at the benefits of bird-watching and how nature can improve your well-being, how to take a well-needed break from your sleep-disrupting phone and explore the stats about young people and mental health conversations.
Olympian urges sporting bodies to do more for elite athletes’ mental health
Last week we shared the news that a new campaign called #LiftTheWeight has been launched to raise awareness of mental health issues among sports professionals – with a focus on rugby.
This week that conversation has been kept going by Olympian Michael Jamieson, who has called upon all UK sporting bodies to pay more attention to the mental well-being of athletes. It’s time to start talking more, and crucially, keep talking about these issues.
Study suggests spending time around nature does positively impact your mood
Many of us know that time spent around nature, whether that’s a walk through the park or a drive in the countryside, can make us feel a little lighter and less stressed.
Now a new study has pointed to time spent observing nature being an effective way to not just improve mood, but lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress too. Although all nature was found to have a positive effect from the research, time spent bird-watching was considered to be the most effective. Time to get your binoculars and bird-watching book ready!
Here’s how to take a well-needed break away from your phone
Studies show that using our phones too much can affect our sleep and mental health, but how do you wean your kids or yourself off it when you rely on it so much? This post from The Greatist has some simple suggestions, like enjoying errands and leaning into productivity, turning off push notifications and buying an alarm clock so you don’t rely on it to wake you up in the morning.
One in four young people wouldn’t talk to anyone about their mental health problems
A lot is being done at the moment in schools, organisations and even by the government to get us all talking more about mental health and the challenges we face. And according to a new study, this focus on talking more has never been more important, especially amongst young people.
The Prince’s Trust Macquarie Youth Index report has found that one in four young people wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about their mental health problems, the main reason being they’d think it would affect their job prospects. Not only is the challenge to get people talking more about mental health, but ensuring employers understand these issues too.
Every week we’ll be bringing you a fresh summary of the top stories concerned with mental health, any of the latest stats we can get our hands on and recently released research that provides us with insights into how we can better tackle the mental health issues that affect us all.
Keep checking back to our blog every week to find out what you’ve been missing. You can also follow UK Therapy Guide on Twitter for the last news: @UKTherapyGuide
