Staff bakesale at Optyma Security Systems

Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 – Mind in Bexley

The theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 was movement and it focused on the benefits of moving more for our mental health.

Regular physical activity is known to improve mental health, quality of life, and wellbeing. It also helps prevent and treat heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and breast and colon cancer, and more.

Exercise releases ‘feel good’ hormones, that reduce feelings of stress and anger. It also helps us feel better about our bodies. It can improve our sleep too. If it involves other people, like being part of a team, a class or group we see regularly, that can also boost our mental health.

We highlighted some of the different ways that we can take exercise, ranging from going to a gym or playing walking football, to more gentler ways like our Walk and Talk group, or joining the Photography for Fun sessions to get out and about and take pictures.

During the week we also highlighted our Wear It Blue campaign which aims to normalise conversations about mental health and to make it easier to remove its stigma. Staff from Optyma Security Systems in Bexleyheath joined the campaign and held a bakesale in aid of our charity.

Our Photography for Fun group also joined in the theme by making their mission of the week to photograph things that were blue coloured (see the video below).

Thanks to everyone who took part in helping reduce stigma during Mental Health Awareness Week. If you would like to join the fight to improve mental health in Bexley, you can help with fundraising and the information can be found here: mindinbexley.org.uk/fundraising