Sport can be massively positive for an athlete’s and a student’s mental health. Engaging in sports is often found to be relaxing and reduce stress. This was explored in great detail by the Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) at their Mental Health Day.
Peter Sawkins, the EUSU President who hosted the event, said that hearing “from lots of different stakeholders within the student sport and mental health remit and to hear about the power sport has and creates has been really insightful and energising.”
Speakers included Chris Cellar, the Director of Delivery at Oriam and a Board Member at Back Onside and Eilidh Gibson, a former University of Edinburgh Sport Scholar and Inclusion and Culture Coordinator for Scottish Student Sport.
Both spoke on a range of matters, with Cellar stating that “talking about our mental health and making sure there’s no stigma around poor mental health is really important.”
Gibson emphasised the importance of “having conversations around mental health,” as they “really help to break down the stigma and allow people to access help if they need it but we also know how powerful sport can be for preventative measures for mental health challenges.”
Image via Callum Couto