This week it’s been Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 9 – Sunday 15 May) and is the UK’s national week to raise awareness of mental health, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation. The theme this year is loneliness and it goes without saying that loneliness is a massive factor that impacts our mood.

In an age where children especially are connected digitally and growing up in this fast paced online environment, it is apparent that some children are feeling more lonely than ever. According to reports by the NHS, currently, one in six children are struggling mentally with rates increasing each year.

Here at Ultimate Kids, we recognise how the impact of sports takes away the feeling of being isolated by encouraging group participation. Inclusion in sport means everyone in our diverse community has the chance to get involved and come together, trying to eliminate that feeling of loneliness.

Did you know that Physical activity releases endorphins which help to relax the muscles and relieve tension in the brain?

There’s plenty of evidence that taking part in physical activity can have a profound and positive impact on mental wellbeing. Being physically active can improve your mood, clear your mind and lead to a better and more balanced lifestyle. With this said, we can see that physical activities can be a great stress buster for children, especially those who are going through any worries and nerves at home or in school. Physical education and physical activity can build on character and self worth within children to boost social interaction, social harmony and prevent that isolating feeling of loneliness…and there are endless benefits:

If you or your child want to get in touch, maybe to let us know how sports has positively impacted your well-being or even just to talk about how your week’s going, then don’t hesitate to send us a little message and head over to our social media where the convocation around mental health will be going on!