In an inspiring turn of events, a participant (who wishes to remain anonymous) in his early thirties has successfully managed to navigate the highs and lows of depression with the support of Sport Northland’s Green Prescription programme, helping to create a dedicated healthy lifestyle support system in his life. Living with mental health struggles, he often found it challenging to maintain a balanced routine, particularly when it came to eating healthy and staying active. 

With continuous support and a solid plan in place, he has found a way to prevent the downward spirals that once threatened his wellbeing. "I used to struggle a lot with taking care of myself, especially with eating right and exercising," he shared. "But with the support I've received, I haven't spiralled into depression. Instead, I've got things in place for when I'm not feeling great, and it's really helped."

Just last week, he experienced a moment of feeling down but had a pre-planned strategy to combat it. "We had made a plan for those tough moments, and as soon as I started feeling bad, I went for a walk. When I came back, I felt so good and relieved that it had worked," he says with a smile. "Not falling apart when things get too much is making a huge difference for me, thanks to my healthy lifestyle support."

This inspiring story highlights the power of a supportive environment and the positive impact of healthy habits on mental health. By making small, manageable changes and having a reliable support system, he has found a way to thrive despite his challenges. His journey serves as a reminder that with the right support and strategies, overcoming mental health obstacles is possible.

Green Prescription is a healthy lifestyle programme for adults who would benefit from one-on-one support to make small, achievable changes to improve their health and wellbeing. Green Prescription focuses on supporting healthy behaviour changes by developing sustainable physical activity and nutritional habits. 

At Sport Northland we exist to enrich Northlander's lives by inspiring and enabling more movement and one of the ways we do this is through Green Prescription - supporting people on their journey.  If you would like some support with your activity goals, give us a call on phone 0800 ACTIVE, we are here to help.

Article written by Wendy Graydon, Healthy Lifestyle Support