Understanding the importance of movement on mental wellbeing

As Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 comes to a close, we wanted to shed some light on the theme of this year, movement, and how moving the body impacts the mental wellbeing of our community. With 1 in 4 people experiencing a mental health problem at any point in a year in England, there has never been a more important time to discuss mental health.

A quick note on the research: To get these stats, we used our agile insights tool, SBX. We conducted a conversational study with 370 participants across Turkey, Spain, France and the United Kingdom.?

What do we mean when we say ‘mental wellbeing’?

How do our community define mental wellbeing, and what does it mean to them? Well, for 64% of individuals, mental wellbeing means ‘emotional health’, while a further 44% believe that mental wellbeing encompasses the ability to manage stress. 40% feel that mental wellbeing can be defined as a healthy lifestyle, highlighting how the pursuit for mental wellbeing is a holistic endeavour encompassing multiple facets of life.?

How does our community like to promote their mental wellbeing?

We asked our community to tell us what activities they do in order to have a positive impact on their mental wellbeing. In alignment to the theme for this year's Mental Health Awareness Week, movement came out on top, with nature walks (30%) and exercise (29%) leading the way. However, our community don’t just move their body in order to benefit their mental wellbeing, in fact, reading is not far behind at 23%. Social interaction, whether that’s with family or friends, is also important for the mental wellbeing of 17% of our respondents.

Movement for mental wellbeing

If you were to ask any mental health professional, they would probably tell you that movement is good for your mental health. But what does our community think? Well, 92% of our respondents agree that movement is important for their mental wellbeing, with 62% claiming it is ‘very important’, and a further 27% claiming it is ‘somewhat important’.?

When asked what types of physical activities they engage in to manage their mental wellbeing, walking topped the chart at 58%, highlighting its accessibility to get moving without the need for significant strength or fitness or a gym membership. According to our respondents, walking helps to disconnect, clear the mind, relieve stress and find those all-important moments of peace.?

The impact of movement is profound for our respondents. 64% say they experience an enhanced mood after physical activity, while a further 41% claim that movement promotes relaxation and a state of calm. How? Through mental distraction (28%) and an ability to clear the mind (27%).?

?

That all sounds great! So what’s stopping you?

While it is easy to acknowledge, and even be told, that getting out and moving your body can have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing, for some it is not that simple. Time constraints are the biggest barrier to getting moving (31%), with busy lifestyles, work, and other responsibilities making it hard for some to find time in the day to prioritise physical activities. Health issues prevent almost 1 in 4, whether those are activity-related injuries or medical conditions, and for some, having a dip in mental wellbeing can make it all the more difficult to find the motivation or desire to get up and out.?

Closing comments

Yes, movement is an undeniable way to promote mental wellbeing. It helps to clear the mind, distract from personal problems, manage stress and enhance overall mood. If not moving the body, reading and socialising with loved ones are also helpful for our community to bolster their mental health. However, where time in the day is limited, whether that’s from working, looking after children, or other responsibilities, finding the time to get out and about can be a huge barrier to engaging in these activities.

It’s great to see movement as the theme for this years Mental Health Awareness Week, by highlighting its role in mental well-being, hopefully individuals and workplaces alike will recognise the importance of prioritising time to get the body moving.?

Author: Ella Savill - Senior Solutions Executive and Wellbeing Champion at Streetbees.