We are running every day to improve mental health awareness and support R.E.D. January, which was set up to promote wellbeing through exercise and is raising money in aid of MIND.

We were inspired to take part because we have long since recognised the benefits of exercise on our mental health. Whilst it’s well documented that exercise benefits physical health, people talk less about how it’s also known to relieve stress, improve sleep and mood. Over the years, running or walking outdoors has helped us cope with bereavements, serious illness and everyday life which includes working in healthcare and caring for children with additional needs. Getting out running with friends gives us a chance to offload our stresses, support each other through the difficult times and most of all, enjoy each other’s company and a good laugh. We’re lucky enough to have beautiful countryside really close to where we live in Sheffield. So, even when we’re too busy to get together, we can go out alone and still come back calmer and happier.

Raising money for MIND is important to us because we see and have experienced the damage that stigma, lack of mental health awareness and negative attitudes towards those with mental health conditions has. We also witness the inadequacies of many mental health services to meet the needs of those who need them. Sometimes dealing with those services is a source of stress itself, not the comfort it should be.

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