Christiaan Jeroen Knaup
Running the London Marathon for UoB's Healthy Minds
Fundraising for University of Bristol
Story
Your student days are the best years of your life. Certainly now that I’m working, I realise just how much freedom I had to explore, think and question everything around me. I spend a year abroad in Singapore, went to the European Championships with the debating society and watched multiple elections in the Student Union. More importantly, I met my best friends.
On the other side, my student days mark a time of grief. While it has been tough, I have been fortunate enough to draw on my friends and family for support and this is an opportunity that is not granted to everyone. More importantly, my grief made me aware of the difficulties in mental health. How can one just snap out of it? How can all the things you do make you feel better? Eating healthy and exercising are things that are incredibly hard to do.
Fortunately, through the University of Bristol, I have secured a spot in the 2019 London Marathon. This marathon represents more than just a run to me. Running 42.195km is a real challenge and an opportunity to give back to the community through fundraising. The university has been incredibly flexible and supportive of students who are suffering from mental health issues through things such as Healthy Minds initiative. It aims to support students who are undergoing mental turmoil, no matter what the reason. It promotes and supports mental-wellbeing via encouraging exercise and mentoring. Exercise has certainly helped me. To me it is not just about the dopamines that are released, but also the bonds that are forged between teammates. Can you help by making a donation today?
About Healthy Minds:
Physical activity has been proven to boost mood and reduce feelings of anxiety, stress and depression. This idea is at the heart of the Healthy Minds programme, which helps University of Bristol students with mental health difficulties to get more active and maintain this behaviour in a supported, friendly environment. The three-month user-led programme includes sessions with an activity mentor, a tailored activity plan and support for future health maintenance, as well as access to a range of classes, clubs and sporting opportunities.The core programme, delivered by the Division of Sport, Exercise and Health at the University of Bristol, has yielded clinically significant improvements in wellbeing among participants. It has positively impacted more than one hundred students over the past two years, and with the help of donations from generous supporters, it will be able to grow and help greater numbers of people. Can you help by making a donation today?
