Blue Monday is ‘apparently the most depressing day of the year’. Due to post-Christmas blues, dark days and nights, financial worries with the long stretch between pay days, this day has claimed it’s the unhappiest Monday in January.
Including all the worries stated above, we now have the UK’s 3rd national lockdown adding further stresses. This is why we have come up with a few ideas to keep your spirits up and create happiness in these uncertain times.
Keeping active has shown positive effects, both physically and mentally. Being active doesn’t mean doing 100 push ups a day, it could just mean going on a daily walk or cycle in the fresh air.
Birmingham has a lot to offer when it comes to local charities, clubs and organisations showcasing their activities they are doing to keep people active.
Birmingham Mind have a new service, Being Well, which is specially designed to support adults via their online platform. The service is open to all Birmingham residents over 18, accessing primary care services.
They host 4-week courses and one-off workshops and will include topics such as:
- Mindfulness
- Dealing with Anxiety
- Coping with isolation
- Living life to the full (general wellbeing for physical and mental health)
- On-line Nattering (a friendly and open drop-in session)
- Nature and Wellbeing
Click here to read the timetable
To register for your FREE place; please email help@birminghammind.org and leave your contact details or please ring the Helpline on 0121 262 3555 and ask for your details to be passed over to the Wellbeing Manager. All courses will be delivered via Zoom.
Another great initiative is the Aston Villa Foundation with the launch of their TeamWork project. The TeamWork project will facilitate activities and challenges including walking, cycling and running groups, working alongside existing fan-led initiatives such as the Villa Running Club, to encourage activity and wellbeing activities during the current lockdown and beyond.
The programme will include virtual meet-ups, encourage communication and share resources to offer support and information on current topics and issues which may have a negative impact on our wellbeing during these challenging times.
To find out more about the TeamWork project email ryan.hollings@avfc.co.uk
During the lockdown we want to encourage our community of Birmingham to keep being active; this is why we want to continue the activation of ‘Join the Movement.’ Join the Movement is a campaign started by Sport England to get the nation moving!
We want to continue this and make Birmingham move! Join us as we get Birmingham moving! For more details on how to get involved with the campaign, click here to read.
Tag us in your conversations with these hashtags #BhamJTM #jointhemovement
Don’t let ‘Blue Monday’ get you down, join us on our journey of getting people active across the city. Whether you are cycling to work, walking to the shops, dancing in your room, doing an online workout you are all working towards being active and moving! So get moving and tag us in your stories because we want to hear about your journeys!