For fitness professionals,
the purpose of getting
up every day to help
others is an enormous
part of our identity, and
something that has been
stripped away.
These links provide more information about accessing free online
and phone support.
lifeline.org.au / beyondblue.org.au / suicidecallbackservice.org.
au / thesamaritans.org.au
Purpose
Everyone has days when they don’t feel like working, studying or
doing whatever life admin tasks are on their to-do lists. However
tiresome our responsibilities might feel on such days, these are the
things that bring our lives meaning. For fitness professionals, the
purpose of getting up every day to help others is an enormous part
of our identity, and something that has been stripped away. To have
purpose taken away can greatly impact feelings of self-worth, with
some rather serious knock-on effects to general mental health.
While for some it may be practical to move to an online business
model and continue being of service to others in that way, for others
this is not a viable option. If this is you, and you miss the ability to help
others, then it may be worth exploring other ways in which you can
contribute in your wider community while you are unable to return
to business as usual. This could mean helping older neighbours
by doing their grocery runs for them, or organising phone calls
with others who may be experiencing extreme isolation and need
somebody to talk to. Many people have been dedicating their spare
time to making fabric masks for members of their community who
might otherwise not have access to them. If you are healthy, donating
blood right now is more important than ever, as the need for it never
stops, but supply is down with so many people staying home. You
can find out more at donateblood.com.au
Boundaries
Emotional burnout is a very real state, and as people who work
to support the wellbeing of others, it’s something that we need to
keep an eye out for in ourselves. While it is important to look after
each other at a time when everybody is struggling, it is vital that you
prioritise self-care to preserve your mental health.
In addition to the actions outlined above, this means setting
healthy boundaries to ensure that you are not giving away so much
of yourself that you are left feeling emotionally worn out. One way of
doing this is to set specific times or protocols for making yourself
available to your clients, so that you are not permanently on-call.
You could make it clear that you are available to be contacted via
phone between certain hours only, but that they may also contact
you regarding non-urgent matters via email or messaging.
While we are well placed to assist clients in developing growth
mindsets and help them focus on adopting positive behaviours, we
must also know our limits: rather than stepping beyond our scope of
practice we must recognise when to refer clients who are struggling
most to mental health professionals. Attempting to solve the deeper
mental challenges of others without possessing the qualifications
and skills to do so will not do us or them any favours.
It is also important to set healthy boundaries around what and
how much media you consume each day, particularly with regards
news. While things are changing all the time, there is a limit to how
beneficial it really is to find out every little detail. Beyond a certain
point, it just becomes an onslaught of negative messages that can
lead to feelings of fear, panic and overwhelm. Make clear decisions
about how often and when you will consume this media, and prioritise
the consumption of positive information and entertainment.
We are not just work machines – having some downtime, playtime,
and regeneration time is going to be incredibly important to help us
take the best possible care of our mental health and get through the
next few months.
Susy Natal
Susy is a Sydney-based performance coach, personal
trainer, wellness writer and convention presenter. With
a background in psychology and a focus on strength
training for females, her integrated approach to training
helps clients ranging from beginners to athletes achieve
strength of body and mind.
16 | NETWORK WINTER 2020