Today marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week. Delivered by the Mental Health Foundation, every May they bring the UK together to tackle stigma and help people understand and support their mental health.
The theme of this year’s #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek is anxiety. Many people across the UK told Mental Health Foundation that they feel anxious some or all of the time.
Fishing for Schools Director, Charles Jardine, offers his thoughts on how fishing can support our mental wellbeing:
"All of us, at one time or another have been flooded by worries. Those middle of the night fears that, rather than dispersing like mists in the morning, persist and become a spectre that haunts our very being.
Angling and water and the world in which immerse ourselves, has often – and I know this from first-hand experience, been that vital respite.
"Whilst angling may not be a solution, fishing can offer the time to recalibrate; to give one the mental easing of a turbulent mind…we can lose ourselves, gently. Softly. Giving us pause to reconsider and see things freshly, from a different perspective and maybe deal with the issue in way that we never imagined. We might even find peace.
Fishing: as good a therapy as I know."
Fishing for Schools Coach, Warren White, shares his experience of how fishing can support mental health:
"From my experiences of working with people with mental health, it is often forgotten that anxiety can impact of a lot of our students, be it juniors or adults, even making it to a fishing session. I have spoken to many care workers who have told me before attending a session, the person was so anxious and was on the point of pulling out, but had the courage to go through with it. Once they meet the coaches and we put their minds at ease, they see the wonderful outdoor environment around them, it can be a game changer.
Fishing frees up your mind and is a great way of escaping the realities of life."
To find out more and get involved visit the Mental Health Foundation website here.
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