Press Release : Gotcha4Life Launches Australia’s First Online Mental Fitness Gym
The Gotcha4Life Foundation, leading mental fitness organisation, is proud to launch its groundbreaking initiative the Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Gym during mental health month.
The innovative online platform is free and set to transform the way individuals’ approach and improve their mental fitness by removing traditional barriers such as cost, geography and stigma to access support. The Mental Fitness Gym will strengthen Aussies’ emotional muscles today and every day.
Gotcha4Life Founder and Director, Gus Worland said: “It’s high time we drew a line in the sand, with the number of Aussies taking their life increasing. We can no longer afford to wait until problems arise, or until someone is in distress. Prevention and education are key. We need to focus on building and strengthening our emotional muscles, the foundation of mental fitness. With dedication and practice, these muscles can be fortified, just like physical ones.”
A recent survey conducted by Gotcha4Life* through its own community, confirms what we are seeing in other national research studies** and highlights some startling insights into the state of mental fitness. Only a handful of us describe ourselves as thriving (8%) with 1 in 5 (20%) Aussies feeling overwhelmed or struggling. 34% indicate they are merely coping when it comes to their mental wellbeing, attributing work-related stress, financial concerns, and relationship challenges as primary stresses.
It’s clear that Aussies are still not good at putting their hand up to ask for help, with less than half (46%), feeling confident to ask. To add to the challenges faced by many, 60% said they didn’t find it easy to find free resources and support to proactively work on their personal wellbeing and mental fitness, with 62% saying they would be interested in free online activities and resources to proactively build their personal wellbeing and mental fitness.
The Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Gym offers practical resources to enable and inspire individuals on their journey to build their mental fitness and wellness. Free to join, the online platform will extend the reach of our tools and resources to more people, in every part of the country. Simple exercises which can be integrated into anyone’s daily routine to form new habits, such as:
10 Mental Fitness Moments: Videos delivered by some familiar faces including Layne Beachley, Neal Whitaker, Maggie Dent and Hugh Mackay AO to name a few with different exercises to boost your mental fitness in 5 minutes or less.
7 Days of Connection Mental Fitness Workout: Delivered to your inbox/smartphone every day to inspire and remind you to take action.
Mental Fitness Check In: Understand your mental fitness areas of strength and opportunities within minutes.
Dr Jodie Lowinger, a leading Clinical Psychologist and founder of The Anxiety Clinic who sits on the Gotcha4Life Advisory Board and has contributed to the Mental Fitness Gym, explains further “With only 8% of people surveyed feeling like they are thriving, the gym seeks to make building mentally fit habits easier, and that includes simple ways to feel more connected to others, and strengthening our ability to reach out for help, no matter how big or small the challenge”.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the innovative online platform Gus said “The Mental Fitness Gym is a game-changer. It provides everyone, regardless of age, or location, with the tools they need to take charge of their mental fitness and wellbeing. Together, we are working toward a world free from suicide, where nobody faces their worries alone, where everyone feels the strength to ask for help.”
The new approach will dramatically expand the number of people with equity of access to tools and resources to build their mental fitness, so they are equipped to navigate and get through, the inevitable ups and downs of life.
Gotcha4Life CEO, Belinda Elworthy added: “The Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Gym is a new model of self-care, providing free access to on-demand digital resources that help people proactively strengthen their mental fitness. The gym is evidence-based and has been designed with a humanistic approach, it’s welcoming and dynamic and aims to meet people where they are at, supporting them to strengthen their emotional muscles any time, any place.”
If you’re interested in strengthening your emotional muscles or looking for more information about the Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Gym, visit thementalfitnessgym.org.
*Gotcha4Life Mental Fitness Survey Methodology. Participants were members of the Gotcha4Life community and completed the questionnaire online. A total of n = 305 responses, 18+ were collected with fieldwork collected between 25th September and 3rd October 2023.
**mhaustralia.org/sites/default/files/docs/report_to_the_nation_2023.pdf
