Movement and mental health

Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in Mental health, News on 20th May, 2024

Last week we marked Mental Health Awareness Week and theme this year was 'movement'. Here George Capone, Clinical Psychologist in North Devon, talks about the importance of movement and the benefits it has to our mental health and overall wellbeing.

"As a Clinical Psychologist, fitness enthusiast and non-contact boxing coach, I think movement is one of the key medicines we often fail to promote. Our lives and working cultures are often desk-based, having a profound impact on our mental wellbeing. While our jobs ask us for energy, creativity and enthusiasm, this can be pretty hard to muster when we’re sitting positions for lengthy periods of time that can leave us feeling stagnant, tired and dispassionate. More research is coming to light indicating our bodies are not merely meat taxis for our brains. Our bodies, in fact, hold a great deal of wisdom and intuition, and so building the brain-body link is vital to mental wellbeing.

"More recently, I’ve brought my longstanding interest in movement in to my work and have a specialist interest in body based ways of working, to increase psychological wellbeing. I think polyvagal theory, as one way of understanding our bodies and nervous systems, has a lot to offer. As we aspire to develop as a trauma informed service, I passionately believe our staff deserve to have the time and space to use strategies we’re often supporting people who access our mental health services to use.

"I like polyvagal theory as it keeps things pretty simple. Essentially, it helps us understand our nervous system as a ladder. Generally, if we’re lucky, we’re at the top of the ladder in a ‘safe and connected’ zone, where we can think clearly, focus, feel a range of feelings although not be overwhelmed by them. Apply a bit of stress, we can flip down in to fight/flight. This isn’t necessarily a problem in itself, but if we’re often sat down and not moving, we don’t get regular opportunities to move this energy out of our body and can end up more at risk of going in to a ‘freeze’ response (fatigue, hard to think, numb), at the bottom of our nervous system ladder."

George shares some ideas on how movement can help:

• Check in with yourself at certain points in the day, maybe when you go to make a cup of tea or pop to the bathroom. Useful signs to notice could be – do I feel numb, flat, tired? (freeze), restless, frustrated, anxious? (fight/flight), calm, centred, connected? (safe and connected)
• Try out some small and simple ways to bring your nervous system back in to ‘rest and digest’. A big old sigh is underrated and actually quite a quick way to release tension in the body, bringing us back in to a more grounded place. Some of my other personal favourites are thinking and picturing someone I love/who makes me laugh, shadow boxing (if I need to burn some energy), or feeling my feet on the floor and straightening up my spine (an alert but relaxed posture works magic!)
• Get some time in nature each day. How often do you work through your lunch break, or sit and eat lunch at your desk? Going for a walk at some point in the working day where there is a bit of green (trees, plants etc.) or blue (water), can help shift our nervous systems back to baseline. Bilateral movement of walking outside can also increase the flow of ideas, helping us to problem solve and think about more creative solutions.