An international athlete’s view on physical and mental health during the pandemic

Our work environment has recently gone through a series of changes imposed by the restrictions and isolation period. That is why today on The Work Well Podcast we want to dive deeper into how we can build a healthy work environment during this pandemic and take a look at the essential elements we should include in our daily routines. In this conversation, former professional athlete David Gillick touches on topics such as physical exercise, the balance between work and family life during the pandemic and how to look at this new normal from a healthy perspective. 

As an international track and field athlete, David dedicated himself to competition and built a life around the athletics season. When it was time to retire from the chase and move on with his life, he struggled with anxiety and stress over not knowing where to go next. David now looks back on that time as his opportunity to explore and understand what he wanted to do. David decided to follow his passion for mental health and physical wellbeing. He is now working with corporate organisations to help them develop wellness programs as well as speaking at several events and webinars focused on physical and mental wellbeing.

Working while at home with a wife and kids during the pandemic

David tells us a bit about his daily struggles and successes in the past few months. He and his wife have been through a few stages during this lockdown. They started from panicking over having to work while at home with the kids to then setting clear priorities and in the end, enjoying quality family time. David’s realistic approach to the situation feels like something most of us have been going through in the past months: “I’m just trying to get through today, really look after the basics. And if I can get a bit of work done here and there that’s positive, but you know, it is a crisis. And you just have to try and find the best way of doing things that suit you.” It is indeed a crisis, and we all are doing the best we can with what we have. Even if sometimes we feel like we are failing, it is essential to take things a day at a time and always look at the positive side of the situation. “I think it’s important to remind yourself of the quality time that you’re spending with the people that matter most,” David says.

The importance of exercise and self-care during this moment in time

As a company, incentivising employees to take part in sports challenges could be a great way to help your team keep up a healthy lifestyle. We all understand the benefits of a daily workout, but getting that exercise time in our daily routines can be a challenge for many. David tells us about his “win the morning” approach during the pandemic. He starts the day early, wakes up before his kids and goes for a short run, walk or core workout. “I just feel like I’ve won the morning, it gives me a bit of incentive and sets the tone, and I feel a lot more productive when I do that,” he says. 

Self-care is a big part of developing a functional physical and mental status. It could be exercising, yoga, or just sitting down, having a coffee and reading the paper by yourself, away from the noise. Sometimes fresh air in a green space can give you a bit of a lift and provide a bit of clarity as well. David recommends spending at least 10-20 minutes over the day, focusing on yourself only while letting go of any work and family-related stress. 

How the change in our daily routines affects us

For the majority of us, our daily routines have been impacted, but sometimes these things can go unnoticed. If you had that commute time to work when you would listen to a podcast or read a book, now that is gone. So when do you get that space? People tend to underestimate their switching off time. It is essential to be aware of those moments and to consciously take the time to catch up on that article or podcast even while working from home. 

There is a lot of grief associated with this period, as well. Maybe people have lost a loved one due to the virus, or perhaps they have just lost their routines or the social element of meeting up with friends. You might have had a goal or a holiday planned that cannot happen anymore. All of that is gone now, and people are going through the grief cycle at different points. Regardless of what you have lost, grief affects people in different ways. 

How do we look to an uncertain future without expecting things to “go back to normal”

Can we look at the world we live in today and accept it as it is or are we going to look at August and September with the hope of the old normal? There is a danger in living for the dream of a normal we know because we are not acknowledging the things we can do today. David explains how he is looking at life at the moment. He focuses on the things he can control, on the areas that he can work on and finds actionable goals. “Keep it short”, he says, look at a day or two at a time. Come August or September things might not be back to the normal we know, but stripping back and keeping things present will keep you going and motivated. 

A love-hate relationship with social media

“I’ll be open and honest, I probably fall into that area of comparing myself with a lot of other people”, David says, and so many of us can relate with that behaviour. Social media is a great outlet, but it can also be a source of personal frustration. Assuming that what people are posting is reality and that their world is perfect makes us look at ourselves and think, am I doing enough? There is so much content out there, and it can be easy to get sucked into that spiral. You can find yourself spending hours searching for the perfect workout, or the perfect recipe, which, of course, doesn’t exist. 

“You’ve got to ask yourself, how is this impacting me, my thought process and self-talk. Because if it’s in any way negative, well then it’s not having a positive impact on your mental health and physical wellbeing either,” David states.

David Gillick closes off with a simple but effective piece of advice for anyone who wants to start exercising but lacks motivation. “The key thing, probably from the mental side is, put it into your diary, put in what day, what you’re going to do and at what time you’re going to do it. The hardest part is putting on those running shoes. Once they’re on, you might as well get going.”

You can watch a full video of my conversation with David right here.

Reach out to David on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram. You can also find out more about him in the videos here or here.