Isis Holt breaks barriers for Mental Health Month

Isis Holt is physically conditioned to be one of the world’s greatest  T35 sprinters at only 20-years-old, but when it comes to mental health – the Paralympic star is playing the long game.

Fresh off an emphatic return to the sport at the Tokyo Paralympics which saw her secure two silver medals, Holt finds herself on the other side of the crescendo – prioritising her mental health in her off-season as athletics takes a back seat.

“As an athlete you’re always busy, always training and always working towards something. I know for me, downtime still is really challenging. I feel a lack of direction and purpose and it’s made me quite stressed out in the past, so it took a while for me to figure out how to take the time to relax in a productive way,” she said.

The first-year psychology student has filled the void of athletics through applying her drive to self-improvement off the track, developing tools and skills that allow her to feel a continuous sense of progress through everyday activities.

“For me it was about finding things that made me disconnect from training and add value to who I am as a person. I can work on skills that benefit me and benefit other people, without it being my sole focus. It’s about learning or doing something in a passive way,” she said.

Passionate about generating discussion on mental health issues and breaking down the surrounding stigma, Holt says that expectations applied in both sport and life are often not a fair reflection of the challenges of mental health.

“There is a sense that you always have to achieve. It’s a really sensationalist culture that we live in, everyone always has to be productive. That busy is good and slowing down is a sign of failure and weakness,” she said.

“There isn’t one person that doesn’t experience mental health, whether good or bad. You can’t make it good all the time, but it can be accessible enough so that people can look after themselves. Hopefully Mental Health Month can bring a bit more attention to those skills that everyone can learn.”

With more life experiences under her belt than most 20-year-olds, Holt hopes to continue building a holistic knowledge of mental health to one day help others as she targets a client or therapist role.

“I’ve worked with sports psychologists throughout my career, and it’s inspired me to want to help people the way they have all helped me, particularly in gathering the tools I need to be as mentally strong and healthy as possible,” she said.

Working with Athletics Australia’s sports psychologist consultant Jonah Oliver, the four-time world champion and five-time Paralympic medallist has been able to grasp key concepts that contribute to her ongoing success – including that rest and recovery are essential for progress.

“Reflection encourages me to look at why my body responds to different things mentally and physically. I find that if I take those things on board, I can flourish as an athlete,” she said.

It’s strange to think that Isis Holt slowing down is good news for Australian athletics fans, but a happy Holt is a fast Holt and with a fresh mindset approaching 2022 – the sky is the limit.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 15/10/2021