Building emotional muscles helps us open up and seek help when needed. Mental fitness is like physical fitness; with practice, it gets stronger.

My perspective on mental fitness is that life is not a race. You’re exactly where you need to be right now. Trust that. Don’t compare where you are to anyone else because it’s your race to run, no one else’s. You do you in your time & trust all will work out exactly how it should.

This statement going sound strange to many, “The most important person in my world is me” I’m a devoted father, husband and support tens of thousands a people a year with my work, but if don’t prioritise my individual health by implementing preventive measures, I can’t truly turn up for the people I care about. My mantra to achieve this is “Health Is Health” by approaching and supporting my emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical health as one daily, I build capacity in myself to be there for my people, my village.

Mental Fitness plays a significant role in my life, particularly in my journey through the hardships of high school. In Year 12, I balanced being School Captain, aiming to dux my school, and playing 1st XV rugby, all while maintaining a social life. Building mental resilience through consistent, small efforts not only helped me excel in my studies, but also enabled me to cope with the pressures of a demanding routine. Persevering through challenges acts as one rep against resistance, and by stacking these reps up over time, I found that I had built a substantial amount of mental muscle.

A mental fitness journey is all about consistency, not perfection. It's about showing up every day, no matter how small the steps.

Staying on top of my mental fitness has been a good way to ensure I can manage stress and my emotions better, no matter what is happening around me. Like physical fitness, I feel stronger every session I do, and when I’m putting time into my mental fitness, the result is exactly the same - bonus when you can combine the two. It honestly has been the key to my well-being, making it a daily habit isn’t always easy, and I notice when I skip a day or two, but keeping it high on my to do list is the key for me to feel optimistic, enjoy what I'm doing, and be the best Mum/Partner/friend to my loved ones

Having been through a mental health crisis myself, I understand the daunting journey of recovery and the importance of safeguarding mental wellbeing. I’ve learnt that if I actively nurture my mental health when I’m in a good place or showing early warning signs, I stay far away from that crisis point. Proactively working on my mental fitness just improves my overall quality of life!

As a farmer, psychologist and mum of three boys, I know all too well the impact that external factors, uncertainty, unpredictability and stressful life events can have on our mental health and wellbeing. We never know when tough times are going to hit, so I believe that it’s vital that we all proactively care for our wellbeing and build mental fitness before the tough times hit. That way, we can have the skills and strategies we need so that we can show up as who we truly want to be as a person, even during challenging times.

Mental Fitness plays a vital role in my daily life and that of my partner, David. We both have lived experience of the ways in which mental fitness can impact quality of life and so many other aspects of physical health. There's no quick fix for our mental fitness, no one-stop solution. Building mental fitness, like physical fitness, requires some discipline and determination along the way - not to mention daily exercise - but the rewards are immeasurable.

Working on our mental fitness means leading by example for the young people in our lives. Every young person deserves access to Mental Fitness tools that help us to better care for ourselves and each other.

Every Tuesday morning, I call up different mates of mine from around Australia or the world just to say hello, for no other reason than to check-in on their mental fitness and see how they are doing.

I believe that prevention and proactively building mental fitness are crucial for a whole-of-health approach. By nurturing mental fitness, we can better handle life's challenges, reduce the risk of mental health issues, and foster a supportive community. My personal experiences have shown me the profound impact mental fitness has on overall health. Everyone deserves to thrive each day. At Gotcha4Life, our mission is to empower individuals to develop and maintain strong mental fitness, providing the tools and support needed to navigate life's ups and downs with confidence and strength.

Mental fitness is important to me as it helps me to be more understanding and kind to others, who sometimes just need a kind word or smile to make a big difference to their day.

The skills we build when we invest in our mental fitness are skills for life. Learning to better cope with our emotional experiences, to ask for help when we need it, and to connect with our village when it feels hard, are the foundations of a life well lived - and these are within everyone's reach.

I have lived experience and work in Bushfire Recovery, working alongside residents and communities directly impacted by the Dunn’s Road Black Summer Bushfires of 2019/2020. I have witnessed firsthand the trauma that people have had to endure. It takes time to build trust and to support people & care in a trauma informed way. Everyone was impacted differently during that event. Making sure that I take the necessary steps and time to focus on my own self care is so important. I enjoy endurance sports and the great outdoors along with spending quality time with my family. Getting that “Nature Fix” and being in the fresh air to clear my mind & self-reflection.

Later in life I developed severe back pain and it was only through yoga that my life changed. Yoga grounded me, physically and mentally- it made me laugh and cry. It's been years since I've been practising yoga, to rest my mind, to slow it, to sharpen it and sometimes to allow my emotions to flow through my whole body.

Having faced two separate battles with cancer over the last 10 years, I've come to understand the critical importance of mental fitness. Initially, I struggled with expressing my emotions, but through my journey, I realised how essential self-care truly is. Building mental fitness takes time, yet with consistent healthy habits, it seamlessly becomes part of your daily routine.

When you make it a habit to take care of your mental wellbeing, you can better handle whatever comes your way. Building mental fitness habits doesn’t have to be hard—start with a clear intention, find what suits you, and soon it will become second nature.

Learning to recognise and understand your emotions is one of the best steps you can take towards being the best version of you.

I think one of the loveliest things about being human, is that we are capable of showing kindness, even to people we don’t particularly like. The daily practice of kindness changes us, and changes the communities we live in by strengthening social connections and enhancing our mental fitness.