EVERYONE who exercises knows it: being physical is good for your mental health. It doesn’t always work, and it isn’t a magic solution, but there’s a lot of research showing people who do the most physical activity are less likely to suffer depression than those who do the least. Other factors play a part, but exercise can be a depression-easer, an anxiety-zapper and a self-esteem-booster.
To publicise and promote these effects, the LGBT running group Glasgow FrontRunners is taking part in a nationwide campaign to encourage people to open up about their mental health. The idea is that running clubs across the country sign up to look after a little mascot dog called Sammy, take him out on a run, and use him as a starting point to introduce a session or conversation focusing on mental health and wellbeing. The hope is that as Sammy makes his way round the country, more people will be talking about their mental health.
For Glasgow FrontRunners, whose members have been taking Sammy on their runs over the last few days, including a trip to the Skye Half Marathon, the new campaign feels particularly relevant and important. Coming to terms with your sexuality, trying to find acceptance and support, or dealing with isolation or low self-esteem – all of it means gay people can struggle with their mental health; it has been estimated, for example, that more than half of young LGBT people have self-harmed.
In taking part in the campaign, Glasgow FrontRunners hopes to encourage gay people to talk about these mental health issues and how they might have been affected by them. But they also hope to highlight a positive message about the benefits of running – and running in a group.
One member who has seen the positive effect for himself is Jack Kelly. Jack, who is 53, began going to Glasgow FrontRunners in 2013 when he was struggling with his own mental health.
“I felt a bit of an outsider at first,” he says, “But I kept attending and although I didn’t go to a lot of social events, the people were very friendly and this made me come back. In the last couple of years I have gotten a great deal out of the training groups organised by the club. The group experience, the advice on running and increasing friendship have been big factors in my progress.
“In the last year I’ve gained a lot from becoming a jog leader and feel so humbled at being adopted as a club captain. I hope I can use this position to support and encourage others to improve their running and push themselves.”
Fellow member Penny Lowles, pictured, has also seen the benefits of running with the club. “Running has allowed me an escape from every day stressers and has massively improved my confidence and wellbeing,” she said. “Running with such a friendly and supportive group has also made me feel more comfortable with my own identity and given me lifelong friends.”
Other running groups are now being encouraged to take part in the campaign, which has been organised by Jog Scotland and the Scottish Association for Mental Health and runs until October. Sammy, and his siblings Agnes and Lee, will make their way from group to group, finishing back at Jog Scotland’s offices in Edinburgh in time for World Mental Health Day in October.
For more information and how to take part, visit jogscotland.org.uk. For more information on Glasgow FrontRunners, visit glasgowfrontrunners.org
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here