 You know how sports great for you. You know that we all know that it's really good for our physical and mental health But sometimes it's really hard to actually like get up and out and do the sports thing So this video is all about that whether it's for you or someone you're supporting or caring for Who you know would benefit from being active because that would help them to get and stay physically and mentally well But they're really struggling to take the steps towards actually engaging in that physical activity And I thought it was important to make this video because actually I've talked increasingly about the role of physical activity and exercise in keeping ourselves well and we kind of we all know this but it's really hard So for me, I love my climbing insert video clip of climbing here pookie because I love to share pictures of me climbing I love climbing and it really does help to keep me well But you know what there are some days when depression or anxiety loom really large And actually getting out of the house and to the climbing wall can be so tricky And if I can get myself there it really helps, but the getting from bed and this to like this This is hard. So I'm gonna share 10 tips on How to make it easier to engage with sports in order to promote your well-being Particularly for those of us who find it really hard because we have debilitating anxiety or depression or similar so Tip number one is to find a sport or activity that you actually enjoy So it's really difficult to motivate yourself to get up and out of the house when you are crippled by things like anxiety And depression and it's even harder to motivate yourself to get up and out If you don't even want to do the thing that you're trying to motivate yourself to go and do So pick something that you think you're gonna actually enjoy so for me I love climbing don't make yourself go for like a 10 mile run if you don't like running Instead think about would you enjoy a work a walk out in the sunshine with the birds or maybe you want to take Up roller derby or perhaps you love playing rugby Whatever it might be try and pick something that actually appeals to you whether it's that you like the sport itself Or you like the people that it's involved or you like the way in which it happens Just yeah find something you actually want to do that on a good day when you are feeling well You'd think yes, this is a thing I choose to do for pleasure. That's like probably the biggest one And so yeah pick the right sport I guess is the first thing and the other thing there is it doesn't have to be like a sports sport It can be a gentle exercise actually just getting out and getting active So actually going for a walk perfectly valid or it might be low, you know yoga or Pilates or one of those more gentle Sports and just laughing because actually for me yoga doesn't always feel gentle. No Okay, so find something you actually enjoy number two if you can find someone you can enjoy it with and That can really help if you've got someone who is going to help to kind of hold you to account and who you can be kind of Making plans with and who can just be with you that can make it more enjoyable and also on a really difficult day Kind of having someone kind of holding your hand helping you to get over the threshold and out into the big wide world Can be super super helpful and if you're watching this because you're wanting to support your child Or someone you work with or careful and then you might look at thinking Can I be that supportive person who does this sport or activity alongside the person? I'm worried about and number three is I find routine is wonderful So try and find a regular time when you can engage in this activity So obviously sometimes you want to be able to get to the point when we can use this as a kind of go-to managing thing So that's great, but actually in terms of just maintaining our wellness Then saying you know I'm going to do this twice a week on a Tuesday and a Friday at this time And having an appointment with self to engage in this is super helpful Um because we kind of get into a habit and we don't have to think about it every time This is just what we do at that time. So it takes a lot of the questions away from it And uh, yeah, that's helpful. You can sort of build on this by doing a class So you might do a regular class at a certain time each week if you can manage that sort of thing for me I mean that kind of puts the fear of god into me although there are like Intermediate so I wouldn't for example want to go to a yoga class But I have always really enjoyed going to social climbing sessions So they're a bit more like drop in drop out and no one's assessing you But you're kind of climbing alongside others at a regular time So sort of social sessions could be a way to go Number four really basic one have all your stuff ready to go So sometimes when we are struggling to get out Then little things They seem like big things And so small things can become massive hurdles and the fact that you can't find your you know Appropriate trainers or footwear might mean that you don't go, you know I can't find my non-marking trainers. So I can't possibly go and play squash today Or you know, I don't know where my water bottle is and it's the end of the world I mean, I have actually literally had these moments. I can't you know, I don't know where my favorite water bottle is Therefore I can't go climbing. I mean it sounds ridiculous on a good well day But on a day when you're crippled by anxiety and depression everything feels too hard It's a big deal So instead in moments of calm when you're doing relatively well pack your bag Have it all ready to go so that then when you want to go out and do your activity You're not having to think about those extra things. It's already the thinking has already happened. Have that bag ready to go number five Is if you can if you are going to engage in this kind of regularly Try and make sure that when you go along and engage in your sport or your activity That you're able to really enjoy it by doing things like thinking about whether you've kind of been able to eat Well or rest well in the run up to it like anything that will help you to perform better Or enjoy more that activity try and do that in terms of prep That can be a little bit of a trickier one and that can sometimes be about thinking about the slightly longer term So again for me with climbing knowing that I always climb on a Tuesday evening I have to think really carefully about making sure I've eaten enough during the day on a Tuesday Because I'm often kind of grabbing food on the hoop before I run to climb myself I've not had a really good lunch Then I'm going to find I climb less well and then I enjoy it a little bit less So yeah a little bit of kind of planning around that that can also be quite good because it motivates you to do things Like thinking about your sleep and thinking about your eating Which is good for you anyway, but it gives you kind of real focus to that And you can really see the improvements in your performance, which is great However, I said all that about trying to improve your performance by eating well and sleeping well And all that kind of thing But I would say number six is pick an activity that you are going to do just for fun So great, you might enjoy it more if you're able to hit the ball harder or run faster Or whatever it might be by having kind of fuelled yourself properly And got yourself into a better sort of place physically But when you start kind of measuring stuff So for me the killer here was I used to go running every day And I used to run the same circuit every single day And I had one of those apps on my phone that meant I could measure how fast I did it And so I was competing against myself every single day And every single day if I didn't run faster than I'd run the day before I'd feel like I failed And that wasn't fun at all And actually, yeah, it wasn't good And so this became almost like a kind of form of self-harm Rather than something that was helping me And it was a really difficult one So with climbing now, I just go just climb Just climb just for fun Just because I love it It doesn't matter if I'm climbing a harder grade or whatever And sometimes that's good It's good to push myself But no, just go because I love it Because I like the people and I like the challenge And I don't mind falling off And yeah, it's just fun And I think that removing the pressure to have to do well Is a really useful way of doing that That said, sometimes engaging in things like sports as a team Or playing against other people can make it more fun So it doesn't mean you can't ever be competitive Or you can't push yourself But if you find that you're losing sight of doing this Because you want to Because it makes you feel good And instead you're always competing with yourself That perhaps isn't quite what we'd want Because we want this to be helpful and fun And enjoyable, not harmful Okay, number seven And so we're, you know, thinking How do I help myself to get up and get out and do my sport? Number seven is actually making this a priority So one of the reasons that can stop us getting out And engaging with sport is different than, you know Having the depilitating anxiety and depression It can be about time It can be, I don't have enough time in my life to do this I know I'd feel better if I did it But I don't, you know, have too many other things to do And so this is about taking a step back and saying Do you know what? This is a priority In order for me to stay well and be well And feel good, I need to prioritize my own physical and mental health So actually, when I'm creating my diary for the week This goes in first If you put it in first, you can fit everything else around it Sounds simple, I know it's not easy to do But it's just something to really challenge yourself about If you're not finding the time to do it Can this go higher up on your priority list? Then number eight is to try and create small achievable targets for yourself So that when you are perhaps in bed thinking Oh my goodness, I know if I got out and did some exercise I'd feel better, but it feels just too hard Instead of thinking, I know I'd feel better if I did a 10-mile run If you can think I'd feel better if I could do a 5-minute walk around the block Then that might feel more achievable And give yourself some leeway So that sure, if you've done your 5-minute walk And you want to pick up the pace Or you want to walk a bit further You can do that, that's great But the hardest step is the first step out of the house So set as small a target as you need to To enable you to achieve that very first step out of the house And celebrate those small achievements too Because actually on those really difficult days Just getting outside is huge So yes, set small achievable targets Don't feel like if you don't do your 10-mile run that you failed Instead celebrate the fact that you walked 5 minutes around the block So yeah, number nine then is kind of what I was saying There really is about being forgiving of yourself So you won't always manage to go and do the activity you want to Or maybe you don't go as far Or do exactly what you'd maybe hope So either you don't do it at all Or you don't do it as well Or as big or whatever Be forgiving of yourself of that Because what can happen otherwise Is we can kind of go a bit black and white about this And we can think that because we didn't do it as well Or we didn't do it today There were a complete failure And we kind of give up trying at all So try and forgive yourself If you didn't manage to do it this morning Maybe you can try again this afternoon Or maybe you can try again tomorrow Or maybe you can say Well actually today was really really difficult But that's okay, I'll try again another time It's okay, you need to be forgiving of yourself And not see this as a failure But just be willing to kind of Turn a fresh page and start again Rather than going Yeah, didn't work today It's now going to work kind of thing That said, if you find that you had made plans to go And take part in an activity And it doesn't happen for any reason It can be quite helpful at a time of calm To have a think about why didn't that happen What were the barriers there And what could I do next time To try and overcome them So we can try and learn from that moment Because you know I'm always a big fan of When things don't quite go to plan Taking that as a learning opportunity For the next time And then that's not a time when things go wrong It's just a learning moment Yeah, see positive spin there reframing Yeah Number 10 is about celebrating your successes Actually be proud of the fact that you went out And you did this no matter how small Maybe you know you can celebrate them yourself You can share them on social media Talk to a friend But acknowledge this Actually stop and say I did that Whether it was a 10 mile run Or the 5 minute round the block You know either way You've got up You've got out You've done something proactively To help look after yourself And again if you were watching this Because you're supporting someone else Then have a think about celebrating those successes for them You know actually when they got up And they got out and they did stuff Notice that Tell them that you're proud of them Share in the joy that they did it with them And yeah maybe go along with them And keel over at the end Feeling tired and happy and proud It's all good Okay so those are my 10 ideas I would love to hear about your experiences Of engaging with sport and activity To help look after your wellbeing And your mental health And particularly how you overcome The desire just to hide And not go outside on the days When it's really really hard So what works for you Please leave a comment As ever please I would love you to subscribe And hit the notification bell Because that's what us YouTubers say Because I don't know I think otherwise you don't get emails When the videos come out or something Anyway yeah subscribe please And I release new videos on Tuesdays and Fridays And if you have topics that you would like me To video about Then please leave them in a comment below Okay take care see you next time Bye