Many people dread January. It’s a dark, cold month, with the excitement of seasonal celebrations behind us, the month can feel like a sharp jolt back to reality. And this year, we face a reality with more uncertainty, as the CV-19 pandemic continues, and the UK ‘Brexit-s’ Europe. With many people across the world living under a wide range of lifestyle restrictions, and with jobs and businesses at risk, it could feel like the possibility of bouncing into the #newyear is a difficult ask at best.
We’ve chosen to take a different approach. We know there are many benefits to the body and brain, derived from physical activity, and as an ambassador for #mentalhealthandwellbeing, we plan to complete a fresh-air ‘walk-and-talk’ every day in #Jan21.
To many this might seem like an easy task, but for me personally, this has some challenges. Firstly, I would rather hibernate until my birthday at the end of the month! Secondly, I have a number of #healthconditions that make exercise difficult. Not impossible though – and my Pain Consultant has prescribed exercise 🙂 Finally, I need to carve out the time to complete these walks whilst developing the business and looking after my young family. Nevertheless, the challenge has been thrown down and I choose to accept!
I am therefore arranging to ‘walk-and-talk’ at least 1 km every day in January, with a different person each time. As an extension of Mind’s #DoOneThing initiative which we supported in October, along with #WorldMentalHealthDay2020, I hope to raise £310 for @Mind – the equivalent to a tenner-a-day.
But more importantly, I hope to raise awareness for #mentalhealth, and give others encouragement to peel back the duvet, shrug off the onesies, and put on some trainers to take to the streets, fields, beaches, and exercise through January, not allowing the reputation of the month, or socio-economic factors to get us down.
If you would like to sponsor me, your donation to @Mind will be greatly received.