Mental health and wellbeing

When I was 12 years old and in Grade 6 at primary school, my mum and my two younger siblings moved from Fitzroy to Clayton. Mum had obtained emergency housing after one too many domestic violence incidents with my stepdad.
A friend that I met at school and his family got me involved with the football and cricket clubs, and from then on it became my outlet: first from my poverty stricken home-life, and later on from the drugs and crime that my brother and returning stepdad were involved in. I loved being able to get away on the weekend, to just enjoy sports and the family-orientated environment that they provided.

Steadying the ship: Wellbeing tips to stay afloat during COVID-19

I love me a good metaphor. ‘Happy as a pig in mud’, ‘full as a centipede’s sock drawer’ etc. etc. During tough situations, (I don’t know about you, but this is my first global pandemic and definitely counts as a tough situation!), I like to take solace in a metaphor to add humour, imagery and most importantly a sense of hope.
In my field of work, a couple of my favourites are ‘riding the waves of emotions’ and ‘weathering the emotional storm’. COVID-19 is indeed a ‘storm’ and it wasn’t on the BOM radar. We find ourselves in uncharted waters, thrown in the deep end, with only time telling who will sink or swim!

COVID-19 and its many faces

I know returning to sport is vital, turning up to game day and being a team player… however when I’m crippled with anxiety it’s not the same. For the past 5 years I have struggled with postnatal depression and anxiety after a rapid return to work in my small business as a naturopath just weeks after my daughter was born. This was not an ideal situation however, due to the way the cards fell and a combination of personal events, that was what had to happen.

Coping with redundancy

Jobs and careers are an important aspect of life. Not only as a source of income, but they are also a means by which many of us define ourselves. “I’m a fireman/teacher/sportsperson/doctor etc”. It’s also one of the first questions we may ask someone we have just met….”So, what do you do?”.

An athlete in isolation

It is true, there is no sport. There are no training nights, there is no game day. There is no waking up on game day with the excitement and nervousness that comes with sport. There is no seeing your teammates, there is no banter,

A message from our National Welfare Manager

This is certainly a challenging time for a lot of people. It may bring up feelings of anxiety, distress, isolation and disconnection. People are experiencing severe hardship with the loss of jobs, businesses, livelihoods and the concern for the health and wellbeing of themselves and loved ones. We here at Outside the Locker Room are here with you, we are …