By Gina Buckney | Your People Power
Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
As Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 approaches (12–18 May 2025), this year, at YPP, we have chosen the theme, “Movement: Moving more for our mental health,” as this offers us the perfect opportunity to reflect on how simple physical actions can lead to profound mental shifts. In the workplace, where many employees spend long hours behind screens, movement isn’t just about fitness, it’s a vital ingredient in the wellbeing recipe.
Why Movement Matters More Than Ever
We live in a time when hybrid working, constant connectivity, and high-performance expectations can lead to stress, fatigue, and disconnection. Many employees now spend most of their day sedentary, switching between virtual meetings and inboxes with little time or encouragement to move. This contributes not only to physical stiffness but also to mental stagnation.
Research continues to show that movement is one of the most effective, accessible ways to support mental health. Regular activity can:
- Reduce cortisol (the stress hormone)
- Boost dopamine and serotonin levels (the “feel-good” chemicals)
- Improve memory, creativity and focus
- Enhance sleep and energy levels
The good news? You don’t need to run a marathon to see the benefits. Even light activity, like a ten-minute walk, can lift mood and reduce anxiety.
What This Means for the Workplace
Businesses serious about supporting mental health must now look at how their culture encourages, or unintentionally blocks, movement throughout the day. Sitting for long periods, back-to-back video calls, and the pressure to stay “always on” are all contributing factors to poor wellbeing.
But when movement is embedded into workplace culture, the benefits are felt widely. It supports not only mental health,but collaboration, engagement, and even innovation.
Launching a Walking Challenge for Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
To bring the theme to life this year, we’re encouraging workplaces to launch a simple but effective initiative: a Mental Health Walking Challenge. This inclusive, team-based activity is designed to get people moving, talking, and feeling better together.
Here are some ideas to bring your challenge to life:
1. Set a collective step goal: Encourage departments or teams to work together toward a shared target, e.g. “Let’s walk the distance from London to Edinburgh together this week.”
2. Walking meetings: Promote walking 1-1s or walking phone calls, especially for check-ins and catch-ups. Contact us to learn more about our Mountain Boardroom Corporate Adventures.
3. Lunchtime strolls: Create designated daily times for optional group walks in person or virtually.
4. Walking bingo or scavenger hunts: Provide light-hearted challenges (e.g., “Take a photo of something yellow on your walk”) to add fun.
5. Celebrate progress: Share team stories, step milestones, and photos through internal channels or social media.
Making Movement a Daily Habit
A walking challenge is a brilliant spark, but the aim is to ignite lasting change. Leaders and people teams can embed movement into workplace culture with simple strategies:
- Encourage “Move Minutes”: Start meetings with a 2-minute stretch or breathing activity.
- Promote flexible work breaks: Make it culturally acceptable to go for a walk without guilt.
- Create movement champions: Nominate team members to inspire others and share ideas.
- Design movement-friendly environments: Standing desks, on-site wellness rooms, and outdoor meeting areas can all help.
- Lead by example: When leaders walk the talk (literally), others follow. So, why not lead your team to #GetMoving this Mental Health Awareness Week 2025.
Why It Matters
Movement is not a luxury, it’s a mental health necessity. When we move, we reconnect with ourselves, break out of negative thought loops, and open up space for creativity and calm. In the workplace, where mental health challenges are often hidden behind performance, initiatives like a walking challenge can bring wellbeing to the surface and make it a shared priority.
As Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 approaches, ask yourself: how can we help our people step into wellbeing? Because every step we take for our employees is a step towards a healthier, happier, more human workplace.
Take Action Today: Join Us In The Challenge
Join us in the challenge, contact our team today and let’s collaborate together. We will host end of day calls to track collective progress and motivate further action. Together we can go further! Email: [email protected] ref: Mental Health Awareness Week 2025.