My issue with World Mental Health Day

I have sat in the same hospital room every day for the past three weeks, not laced up a running shoe in five weeks and for the past four weeks thought about little else but the creaking sound of my family tree swaying in a storm fearing that it might crack. I have not lined up for two marathons in this time. I’m not afraid to admit it but I am in one of the worst mental health troughs I have had in the past decade.

So, on a day like World Mental Health Day to see people using something that destroys lives and rips communities apart to be used so casually to promote the latest shoe release or a training app, with clearly no thought on actually helping people, hurts. I don’t use the word “hurt” casually. I know I am sensitive right now but I have felt this discomfort and disgust for years. So let me explain what that day should be used for. 

For individuals it should be a reminder to check in with those you love, to disconnect from the world of social media and to do something that truly benefits you or those you care for. To seek help if you need it and provide comfort if you do not. Be a listening ear, don’t try to fix it just be there. You might not get it right but you are showing up and that counts for a lot. Trust me.

If you are a brand that truly cares about the community you exist in, then use the time not to advertise but to help. Throw away a hashtag and branding that took eight men in a room £100K to think up and use that money to actually help your community rather than sell to it. Give out free kit drops and training plans to those who would actually benefit from it but cannot afford it rather than paying people to post on your behalf. Or use it to support your employees, I know the line they precariously tread between burnout and productivity. Donate to mental health charities.

I don’t care if it is nothing but a PR act of virtue signalling because that will trickle down to do some actual good long term. To the media agencies and individuals in the content creation space, you have the power to suggest these sort of things rather than mining the same painful content of “go outside with the latest shoe it will help you feel better”. Be unique, be better. It will help your brand grow loyalty, grow how it is seen in the wider industry and help start a conversation that needs to be had.

The running community is a space with a high proportion of those who have mental health issues. My depression is what led me to running over ten years ago now. It was the first way I actually managed to grapple with the dark edges of myself and ultimately led me to a much more stable place. I have spoken to more people than I can count who have told me the same story as mine, it is a painful mirror that is reflected all across the globe, now more than ever.

So next year, don’t sell to your community, help it.