Miss SA Shudu Musida steps up mental wellbeing drive by hosting virtual run

14 April 2021 - 11:58 By suthentira govender
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Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida will host a virtual running event to highlight mental wellbeing.
Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida will host a virtual running event to highlight mental wellbeing.
Image: Supplied

Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida is taking her mental health campaign a step further by hosting a virtual running event on Thursday to highlight wellbeing of the mind and raise funds for the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag).

The event will be hosted via Strava, which is a social platform of athletes, together with Discovery Vitality.

Discovery Vitality said it was supporting Musida’s mental wellbeing initiatives because it was “deeply invested in improving mental wellbeing, particularly through physical activity”.

The collaboration came about after Discovery Vitality became aware of Miss SA’s Mindful Mondays initiative, which aims to create awareness around mental health.

“Mental health and wellbeing are causes that are extremely close to my heart, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when people are faced with losing loved ones and economic challenges,” said Musida.

Having recently launched a mental wellbeing component to the rewards goal, Discovery Vitality will donate R20,000 to Sadag in support.

According to Discovery Vitality worldwide, more than one billion people are affected by mental  or addictive disorders – around 16% of the world’s population.

According to the SA Stress and Health (Sash) study, the lifetime prevalence for any mental disorder among South Africans was found to be 30%.

“We know mental and physical health are connected. While living with a chronic condition increases the risk for developing poor mental health, the opposite is also true – poor mental health increases the risk for developing chronic conditions,” said Dr Mosima Mabunda, Vitality’s head of wellness.

I want people to know there are resources available ... where they can get help.
Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida

“For example, depression is associated with an 18% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. This may be because people with a mental health condition find it more difficult to manage their physical health.”

The public can join Miss SA’s run by downloading Strava and creating a personal profile on the platform, join the Team Vitality running community (at no cost) and track their run.

“This is all for a great cause with the aim to inspire more people to ask for help when they’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious or depressed,” said Musida.

“I want people to know there are resources available, including those from Vitality’s online platform and the Vitality Sadag line, where they can get help, with the toll-free 24-hour helpline on 0800-01-02-03.”

TimesLIVE


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