Ride for Mental Health Day

As some of you might have read, SAP has launched globally a Mental Health Day, the first of which will be tomorrow, the 27th of April 2021. Personally I am proud to be working for an organization that has such a strong commitment to its employees – and to society as a whole – that there is no place for any mental health stigma in the workplace.

Why did SAP do this? Because SAP decided to act to address employees’ mental health concerns after discovering that one-third of our employees were experiencing stress levels that were higher than our work satisfaction levels and that 61% of employees were working beyond their capacity. Lock downs around the world has increased stress levels on our employees for sure, but also on many other individuals and organizations. I am sure we are all in the same perpetually busy screen time world, where the home is obscured into an office, into a gym, into a family room and into an events hall. There's sometimes no respite and that alone is a heavy mental anguish.

Yet in our crazy times we are still seeing countries, cities and regions are going in and out of strict lockdowns, its hard to know how to reach out to these friends and colleagues and simply ask 'are you ok' ? You are left asking 'what can I do to help'! It was this very thought that made our team think about the things that do make us happy and how we can share that with our local communities. In Singapore we are far more fortunate that some countries, in that we still have relative freedoms in a sanitized environment with fewer than many COVID Cases. Yet there are members of our community that are impacted by economic, social and mental health issues that they have to contend with. All countries will have these issues, but i was reminded of a great statement.. "Little by little, little changes change everything"!

It was with this in mind that our simple SAP Innovation Office decided to support this global SAP Initiative at a local level by creating a Ride to Health challenge. This is a 10-day challenge running from April 23rd thru to May 2nd to support and encourage SAP employees to get on their bike and and ride in support of their own health and well being, but also encourage colleagues, family and friends to do so whilst raising awareness of mental health!

Now I can go to many statistics out there that point to the benefits of physical activity to combat mental and health disorders alike. A key statistic that a colleague of mine recently shared with me is that 1 in 4 people will be affected by mental disorders at some point in their life. That number resonated with me on many fronts, why you may ask? Because the main reason I took up cycling years ago was also personal reason, cancer. Which in turn led to depression and anxiety: hallmarks of mental disorder. And yet did you know that a simple thing like riding a bike to work was associated with a 45% lower risk of cancer and heart disease in a recent UK Study. The study cited reduced anxiety, stress and depression with a simple activity like riding a bike.

With one simple activity one could address all of their 'dis-ease' ailments! That resonated with me deeply and let me share with you why...

When people are struck down with a disease like say 'cancer', inevitably they are faced with the trickle on effects of depression and anxiety. In my own case, having both wasn't an easy journey to overcome, it still isn't today! I recall upon hearing the words remission the first time, I walked out of the hospital and saw a bike shop across the road and wanted to celebrate life by doing something I had not done before, ride a pushbike... a very long distance! (It was after all the era of Lance Armstrong and Livestrong! Less did we know) But none the less, that very bike shop had a sign on its front door which read "Charity Bike Ride - Sydney to Gold Coast" and I thought 'Why Not"! So I signed up, borrowed a bike and I haven't looked back since. Its something that remains true today, nothing can replace the endorphins I get from riding my bike with my friends and colleagues @sap. It is something that my surgeons have suggested may have kept other subsequent relapses at bay to date - that being my health!

I am not saying everyone's experience is the same, no - far from it. We all know that Mental Health problems are widespread, varied and complex. However, one of the things that can help and helped me, is simple: Get on a Bike! The fact that physical exercise contributes to mental wellbeing has long been recognized since Roman times; the poet Juvenal wrote the famous line "mens sana in corore sano", meaning "A healthy mind in a healthy body". This all points to the fact that physical exercise is an important, or at minimum, an essential part of mental and psychological well-being.

For my part, like my other Ride to Health colleagues across the Asia, ANZ and Greater China market units who are also participating in this challenge, I feel immensely grateful to work for SAP. Because of this prioritization on the health and well being of all its employees through not just this Mental Health Day, but many various programs like FIT@SAP, Life Leave, 24x7 access to the Employee Assistance Program, and now a paid day off around the globe to allow each and every employee to do what they want/need to recharge in support of their own Mental Health.

To commemorate the first annual SAP Global Mental Health Day, our Singapore team decided to create this regional cycling challenge, by setting a target of 10,000 km's. It may seem like a large number, but given how many employees have already signed up in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand I am sure we will be also helping many local charities as well. Each participating country across SAP in APJ is donating to their national Mental Health partner and that is a great initiative.

For me its also more personal, its all about 'maintaining my mental sanity in these crazy times and also preparing for my newest cancer challenge that I have to meet face on' and I will with the ongoing support of my friends, family & the greatest SAP family one could ask for. Spurred on by this SAP family who have rallied around me, I feel that this bike challenge to keep my mind and body 'fit' and 'match ready' for the road ahead is something I will throw full support for. Already clocking an average of 70's per day this weekend with the big one tomorrow (the 27th of April) where many SAP Teams across Singapore & Australia will be riding for Mental Health Awareness.

I would like to I invite those of you who can, to donate to your own local charities to support Mental Health. Here in Singapore we have chosen to use the Giving Singapore platform for the Ride2Health challenge that we launched today. We hope you can contribute as it will be going completely to Singapore Association for Mental Health. Our local Ride to Health Challenge is raising money by partnering with this local charity, Singapore Association for Mental Health  who is a well-known mental health organization, focused on supporting people affected by anxiety, depression and suicide. 

To all of my colleagues and friends who cant join this challenge or donate, just do it for yourself. Take some time, meditate and try to make getting on your bike as easy and pleasurable as possible for you! Don't set unrealistic targets; to begin just ride your bike, even if its only 10-20 min at a time! Of course any physical activity is better than none when it comes to improving your mental wellbeing, but cycling is particularly useful! Think about it, its low impact (vs Running), its aerobic exercise that most people are able to engage in and its typically cheaper than a gym membership over the course of a year! If you don't have a bike there are many services available across Singapore!

The objective is to help encourage and motivate each other to support a healthy mind for a healthier you! Many institutions recognize the need and benefits of promoting mental health and awareness, so I know we are not alone and would like to encourage all organizations to look at their best assets, their people and support them.

The Ride to Health challenge for SAP staff is powered by FIT@SAP. Built on SAP Business Technology Platform, cycling data from popular cycling applications and devices are synchronized with FIT@SAP. All participants can view the Ride to Health Challenge dashboard showing individual distance, the total distance ridden, and yes, a leaderboard! But the goal remains the same - Raise Awareness for Mental Health! 

We want to make our 'Mental Health Day' count for all those around us and in our community. We want it to count for yourself, your colleagues, your community and those that need a helping hand!

Share and show us what you are doing to support through your social networks all SAP folks with #Ride2HealthSAP #LifeatSAP @SAP #SAPMentalHealthDay

This doesn't mean we wont accept ring ins, start ups, hyperscalers, partners and independent contributors for joining in - far from it! Each and everyone one of us can help, awareness and action.