It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, a time to put the spotlight on mental wellbeing and how to look after our mental health.
This year’s campaign is focused on ‘community’. According to the Mental Health Foundation, the team behind this important awareness campaign, “being part of a safe, positive community is vital for our mental health and wellbeing. We thrive when we have strong connections with other people and supportive communities that remind us, we are not alone.”
So, we decided to tap into our own community here at IACS to understand the tools and techniques that they use to promote wellbeing.
Here we catch up with our Apprentice Director, James, who tells us how a lifelong love of sport is his wellbeing tonic.
I have always played and watched sport. It is simply my release from the 9-5.
The good thing about sport for me is that I get the same experience from watching and playing, which is a good thing because age and injuries catch up with you.
At the moment, I love playing golf and cycling, but my football, cricket and rugby playing days are definitely over!
Where do I start!
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love sport. I was an anorak growing up and loved a statistic or two!
Watching the 1980 Winter Olympics was a big deal for me. My parents would tell the story of me as a 4-year-old dressed in cold weather gear imitating Eric Heiden, the Canadian speed skater, in our living room. He won 5 gold medals at those Olympics.
This was a bit of a shock for my mum! Going to Upton Park to see West Ham v Coventry on my 7th birthday with my dad. He is a Chelsea fan so must have been aghast at taking his son to a London rival. I had been hooked on the Hammers for a while before going to my first game in 1982. We lost 3-0. Nothing changes!
There is a group of eleven of us that attend every West Ham game, ages start from 8 years right through to about 75. It’s families and friends coming together with a mutual love for a silly football team!
I also enjoy going to big sporting events. A day at Lords for a Test Match is my big love. I still go with my Dad when we can or with friends.
A day at Twickenham with my rugby-loving mates is also hard to beat. A day at the races is right up there as well.
Although my daughters are both under 11, they have started to attend some events with me. I’m not sure if they have my love of these sports yet but I’ll be giving them every chance.
Participating, I think. It was always great to burn off stress and frustrations which we all get from time to time. I still like to hit a golf ball at the driving range, which is a nice release.
I always loved playing all team sports but probably preferred watching football to playing. I love American Football. I’m not sure I’d want to play it though!
West Ham won their first trophy since 1980 when winning the Europa Conference League in Prague in 2023. I was there with four other members of our group. It was a “small” stadium that held only 20,000 fans so I felt very lucky to be in the ground watching us grab a very late winner.
I had waited a long time for us to win something. It might not be the Champions League but for us, it was massive. Great days!
Try different things. Try loads of sports, one might stick.
Take up other hobbies. I play the guitar and I cook. These are things I love to do.
It is so important to have a release. Work can be all-consuming and can fill our thoughts long after we’ve gone home for the evening. Losing yourself in a walk, book, film, run, or sport is so important to maintain your mental health.
Endorphins are good for the soul!
