Thanks for getting involved in Mental Health Awareness Week 2024
We are the home of Mental Health Awareness Week
Since 2001, the Mental Health Foundation has been leading Mental Health Awareness Week - bringing together the UK to focus on getting good mental health. Each May, millions of people from every part of society take part. They include people in schools and further education; private, public and charity sectors; families and individuals.
This year, the theme of the week was 'Movement: moving more for our mental health'. Find out more about this week's campaign below.
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Support good mental health for all
Your support helps us run Mental Health Awareness Week every year and continue our work year-round to make sure that no-one is deprived of the opportunity for good mental health because of who they are, the community they come from or where they live.
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Wear It Green Day
Organise a Wear It Green Day any time of year at your school, organisation or with family and friends.
‘Movement: Moving more for our mental health’ was the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2024
Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 took place from 13 to 19 May and focused on the benefits of moving more for our mental health.
Find your moments for movement
Moving more is good for our mental health, so what's stopping us?
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. Despite these benefits being well established, over a third of UK adults do not meet the recommended amount of activity.
In our new report, we explore what’s stopping the UK population from being more active, and what could help get people moving more for their mental health.
Why movement?
One of the most important things we can do to help protect our mental health is regular movement.
Our bodies and our minds are connected, so looking after ourselves physically also helps us prevent problems with our mental health. 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.
Despite these benefits, so many of us struggle to move enough. We know there are many different reasons for this, so this Mental Health Awareness Week we want to help people to find moments for movement in their daily routines.
Our Mental Health Awareness Week campaign is not an 'exercise' campaign. Please always consult a healthcare or fitness professional if embarking on a new fitness regime.
While moving our bodies regularly is important for our mental health, we know that for people with experience of eating disorders or exercise addiction, this message might be triggering. Our goal with the campaign is to help people find moments for movement to support good mental health and emotional calm. If you are worried that you or someone you care about is exercising excessively or causing harm, please visit BEAT for further information and support.
Stories about movement and mental health
It's important to find the movement that’s right for you. These people share their experiences of the impact of moving on their mental health.
Moving for your mental health with a long-term health condition
About Mental Health Awareness Week
