Ahead of World Mental Health Day tomorrow, we’re encouraging Table Tennis England members and the sport’s community to look out for each other and to have positive conversations about mental health.

Mental health has never been more important than now, with our daily lives changed considerably as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

With mental health charities reporting higher levels of anxiety and feelings of isolation across society, we are encouraging everyone to reach out to friends, family and colleagues.

It is well known that exercise such as playing table tennis can have a positive impact on our mental health, as the graphic below illustrates.

Table Tennis England Board member Doug Livingstone, who is playing a key role in helping to end the stigma of mental ill-health in the workplace through his work with the mental health action group InsideOut, references the positive impact that playing table tennis has had on his mental health.

Doug has recorded a message to co-incide with World Mental Health Day, which you can watch below:

Among the other examples of the positive impact of table tennis, click here to read how the sport has helped Lyndsey Simpson of Blackpool TTC to overcome mental health issues and, below, find out how table tennis has helped people to build positive relationships in Mansfield, part of our Power of Ping! series.

 

The mental health message is reinforced from the very top of the English table tennis tree, with No 1 player Liam Pitchford and men’s coach Gavin Evans both having released messages to our members during the current restrictions – you can watch those videos again below:

So, on World Mental Health Day tomorrow, and every day, please look after yourselves and each other and start a conversation about mental health.

Click here to find out ore about World Mental Health Day 2020 on the Mind charity’s website.