What’s a growth mindset?

A growth mindset is a belief that we can improve ourselves.  Challenges and difficult situations don’t defeat you!  You feel as though you can overcome obstacles, maybe with baby steps, maybe with a big decision but you feel as though you can, and that’s the important bit. 

Why being active matters

 A good way to get to know yourself is by being active.  Set yourself a challenge and see how you handle barriers you come across – like really see and maybe write it down and think about how you could tackle it differently.  Join a team and experience what it’s like to work with others towards a goal – do you get on with everyone?  If no, why not?  What parts of being in a team do you like?  Is it being a leader or do you like it when you’re 2-1 down with 10 minutes to go and you have to dig deep?  All of these experiences are valuable to help us grow and learn more about ourselves.  If you don’t think you handled something well, think about how you might handle it next time and try it out.

Exercise is so good for our mental health whether that’s going for a gentle walk or synchronised swimming or taking part in wheelchair rugby.  Here are some reasons why:

1.        Regular exercise creates routine and structure.  That could be turning up for training several times a week or your watch telling you that it’s run day.  Structure and routine can be comforting and reduce anxiety as they’re predictable.   

2.        We know you’ve heard it before but exercise releases those endorphins, the feel-good hormones sometimes known as ‘runners’ high.’  Endorphins are studied quite a bit but they are released at different times for different people and body types, exercise and duration.  Whatever the science behind them, they make us feel gooooood!!!

3.        Exercising as part of a group means that you can be sociable too which is good for our mental well-being.  Research shows that girls like to be with friends when exercising and there’s nothing wrong with that!  Work hard, play hard.

4.        And exercising with others can be motivating, challenging and make you accountable – if your friends are going you don’t want to let them down.  Challenges and a motivation to achieve them is positive for our bodies and minds.