Asics has teamed up with poets in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain on Global Running Day (poet and mental health advocate Charly Cox in the UK, poet Julia Engelmann in Germany, poet Roziena Salihu in the Netherlands, and record holder and Asics athlete Mo Katir in Spain) to create the spoken word poem “Nothing Feels Better” to inspire more people to exercise for their mental wellbeing. The multilingual collaboration is a response to Asics’ recent “State of Mind” study, which shows that people’s mental well-being continues to decline worldwide. For example, the State of Mind score of Britons dropped to a mediocre 62 out of 100. For Germans, it was as low as 60 points, with the Spanish scoring 67 and the Dutch 63.
“Nothing Feels Better” is based on the words of thousands of people around the world who have shared how they feel about exercise, and it uses the positive emotions of others to inspire more people to take the first step. The poems are supported by a rhythmic composition by renowned producer Auntie Flo (a.k.a. Brian d’Souza), who has used sound techniques proven to trigger feelings of motivation and uplift. These techniques include the use of a beat frequency that mimics the tempo and beat of movement, chord progressions, and the inclusion of the 111hz frequency known as the “holy frequency.”
Of her collaboration with Asics, English poet Cox said, “Mental illness can be debilitating. The poetic irony that movement helps is so often a kind suggestion from a good friend that you just want to shout at and ignore. I’ve been that person. Gentle movement has helped stave off some of my worst episodes and keeps me mentally and physically in a much better place. Teaming up with Asics to write this poem has been not only a career highlight but some of the most important and difficult messaging I could try and convey. I really hope this track inspires people to try. Just try. When life feels like a marathon, what’s the point in sprinting? Find pride and joy in moving to feel better, not to be better”.
Throughout the month of June, every time “Nothing Feels Better” is streamed on Spotify, £5 or €5 will be raised for mental health charities – in England to Mind, in Germany (June and July) to Stiftung Deutsche Depressionshilfe, in Spain to Confederación Española de Salud Mental, and in the Netherlands to MIND Us.
To listen to the poem, check out “Nothing Feels Better” on Spotify (all 4 language versions).
