Happiful January 2020

says Dr Christian Buckland, a
psychotherapist and spokesperson
for the UK Council for
Psychotherapy. “If we know when
we are getting up in the morning,
or when we are having breakfast,
lunch, and dinner, we can feel
less overwhelmed by other tasks,
as the day is broken down into
manageable sections.”
START OFF SMALL
“Something as simple as walking
to work instead of taking public
transport is a really great start,”
says Hannah Horlick, personal
trainer at Reach Fitness. “On a
walk in the morning, you can listen
to some music or a podcast, or just
take notice of your surroundings.”
TURN IT AROUND
“We often mistakenly do things
back to front – our thought process
that says, ‘Exercise will make me
feel better. Therefore I should
exercise,’” says Katerina Georgiou,
a counsellor and psychotherapist.
“Try turning that thought the
other way round: ‘When I feel
well, I’m more likely to exercise.
Therefore I should do things to
feel well.’
“It’s surprising how much
more resilience we can
have for things like exercise
when we first make space for
the things we love,” she adds. “If
there’s a song you love listening to,
or seeing friends, then do those
things first and often! It will put
you in a better emotional space to
tackle more taxing tasks later.”
FIND THE STUMBLING BLOCK
It can be helpful to work out what
is stopping you from exercising
to try to overcome this. “If you’re
tired after work, do something
before work,” says Georgiou. “If
it’s the faff of getting changed, try
walking around the block.”
For Melanie Daffin, music helped
reduce her anxiety about the gym.
“I was scared of exercising in
front of others, and the amount
of people also worried me,” she
says. “I’ve thankfully managed
to overcome that by using my
headphones. I end up zoning out
into my own world and not caring
what people think.”
FIND SOMETHING YOU LOVE
Exercising doesn’t have to mean
pounding the pavements – whether
it’s gentle yoga or stretching,
there’s bound to be an exercise that
suits you. “I know classes can be a
little daunting, but get in contact
with the gym and let them know
your situation. In general, they will
make you feel very welcome and
look out for you,” says personal
trainer Hannah.
“I get really anxious going to
anything I haven’t been to before
on my own, but if you are heading
to a fitness class, there will be likeminded
people there, going for the
same reasons as you.
“Personal training sessions aren’t
in everyone’s budget, but if your
anxiety is severe, that really could
be the best way for you to start,”
Hannah adds. “A personal trainer
can completely tailor a programme
to your goals.”
Exercising in the comfort of your
lounge can also ease the anxiety of
going into a busy gym – and there
are lots of easy-to-follow YouTube
videos, too.
THINK ABOUT THE BENEFITS
Being physically active isn’t the
only answer to a mental health
problem, but it can help.
“Exercise has been massive for
my mental health, I really can’t
oversell it,” Freddie says.
“Being alone with my thoughts
for a long period of time is a
recipe for trouble in my life,
so having another distraction
makes a huge difference,
and being able to make
new friends tin my gym
has been a
great benefit
as well.”