Students get physical to raise awareness about mental health

University of Northampton students have been feeling the burn by taking part in physical challenges to raise funds for a local charity.

Social Care and Community Practice students are lacing up their trainers and hitting the yoga mats for their second annual series of events called ‘Some Exercise Every Day’ (SEED).

The aim of the project, which runs through the entire of March, is to increase awareness about mental health and raise money for mental health charity MIND (Northampton).

Students have been tackling physical exercises they wouldn’t normally take part in, such as taking up yoga or going for a morning run, following the belief that good physical health can help achieve good mental health.

Student Teri Eger, who is coordinating this year’s SEED, said: “MIND is an amazing organization that offers support to those people and we believe that mental health is a topic that needs to be more talked about to end the stigma around it. That is why we thought to do the project again this year and support each other to exercise and think about something that makes us happy every day.

“By doing some exercise every day, no matter how small, and by raising money for MIND, we can help make things better for ourselves and others.”

To support the project, Teri has also put her musical skills to good use and penned a song called Into Your Mind.

The University of Northampton has been working on a number of other projects aimed at helping reduce the stigma around mental health. Mental Health nursing staff have been rolling out ‘Mental Health First Aid’ training to all nursing students.

Mental Health nursing students recently organised a University-wide awareness day, aimed at spotlighting work being undertaken across campus and the wider town and county about mental health.

To donate to the SEED project, see their Just Giving webpage.

Find out more about our Mental Health Nursing Course.