Exercise to Reduce PTSD Symptoms from Workplace Bullying
Understanding the impact of workplace bullying on mental health
Workplace bullying and PTSD are often ignored in society. Although mental health is increasingly discussed and prioritized, mental health within the workplace remains a secondary concern. Older generations typically look at mental health as excuses, which quite frankly can be due to the lack of coping capacity in the newer generations. When people are less exposed to stress, it can take a lot less to make them feel overwhelmed, which is what we are seeing now as a society. However, how do we acknowledge those who are truly suffering from hurt experiences that they can’t let go?
In personal life, setting boundaries is more straightforward; you can remove people who cross the line. However, in many professional industries, when betrayal occurs, it can easily be brushed off as “it’s just business.” When you allow cut throat attitudes to dominate your perception in professional relationships, you miss opportunities for genuine professional relationships that can open doors for you in unexpected ways. If you find yourself highly suspicious of others, especially in a workplace environment, then chances are you have PTSD from workplace bullying.
What Constitutes Workplace Bullying?
Knowing what counts as workplace bullying is essential to recognizing it and seeking help. Here are some common forms of workplace bullying:
Intimidation or Undermining: Belittling an employee's work or suggesting their efforts aren't up to standard.
Withholding Credit: Failing to recognize an employee's contributions or achievements.
Setting Up for Failure: Assigning tasks designed to be too challenging or giving insufficient resources, then highlighting mistakes.
Threats to Self-Esteem: Making personal attacks that damage an employee's confidence or work standing.
Isolation: Excluding employees from crucial information, opportunities, or social interactions with coworkers.
When these behaviors become part of an employee's daily experience, they can create a hostile environment that takes a toll on mental health and may lead to PTSD.
How Training Can Help You Overcome Workplace Bullying
Exercise offers more than just physical benefits—it has a significant impact on mental health, particularly for those experiencing PTSD from workplace bullying. Here’s how regular training can support your mental resilience:
Stress Reduction and Resilience: Physical exercise lowers cortisol levels, which helps reduce the body's stress response. Exercise also encourages the production of endorphins, chemicals that boost mood and counteract feelings of anxiety and depression. Building a routine that includes consistent exercise can improve your ability to manage workplace stress and respond more calmly to challenging interactions.
Improved Self-Confidence: Bullying can erode self-esteem, making it difficult to feel competent or worthy in a professional setting. Exercise builds physical strength and endurance, which can, in turn, enhance self-worth and confidence. As you reach fitness milestones, you reinforce a positive self-image that can help you feel more resilient against bullying behaviors.
Social Support Through Group Training: Group workouts or classes provide a supportive environment where participants can build positive relationships. For those who feel isolated in the workplace, this environment can offer a sense of community and belonging, reducing feelings of loneliness that often accompany workplace bullying.
Mental Clarity and Emotional Regulation: Engaging in physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, improving focus, clarity, and cognitive function. This can help you process emotions more effectively, making it easier to detach from the negativity associated with bullying and allowing you to respond to situations with a level head.
How Drip Training Helps PTSD Through Exercise
At Drip Training, we understand that physical fitness is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to building resilience. Our approach is designed to support clients dealing with complex issues like PTSD from workplace bullying through tailored programs that address both the body and mind. Here’s how we can help:
Customized Training Plans: We offer personalized training sessions designed to build strength, reduce stress, and enhance mental clarity. Each session is crafted with an understanding of our clients’ unique struggles, including anxiety and PTSD symptoms.
Mental Health-Integrated Fitness: Our trainers understand the connection between mental health and physical fitness. We incorporate exercises specifically chosen to lower cortisol, improve mood, and help release emotional tension stored in the body.
Virtual Training for Convenience and Comfort: For those who feel unsafe or uncomfortable in crowded gyms, we provide virtual training sessions. This allows clients to work on their fitness journey in a comfortable, private space, free from potential triggers.
Community-Oriented Support: Drip Training fosters a supportive, judgment-free community that provides clients with positive reinforcement. Being part of this kind of environment can help undo some of the social damage caused by workplace bullying, helping clients feel more connected and less isolated.
The goal is not just to help clients get fit but to empower them with confidence, resilience, and a strong sense of self-worth.
Reclaim your Strength
PTSD from bullying, especially in professional settings, is a serious challenge. Overcoming it takes time, but through exercise, mindfulness, and a community that genuinely cares, you can rise above it. Exercise can empower you to release the stress, fear, and self-doubt that bullying may have left behind, rebuilding both your body and your confidence.
Start your coaching from someone who’s lived through PTSD and has now overcome.
Train Smarter with a Virtual Coach
If you’re tired of generic workout programs that don’t account for your body’s unique needs, it’s time to train smarter. My virtual personal training services will help you:
Get a CUSTOMIZED Plan
1-1 Virtual Training
1-1 Health Coaching
All with a REAL Coach
COACH DEE
Online Personal Trainer CPT: ACE & Trauma Informed Weight-lifting
About the Author: Coach Dee
Deborah Park, known as Coach Dee, is the owner of Drip Training LLC and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Health Coach. With a background in architecture and kinesiology from the University of Virginia, she has extensive experience in personal training and athletic coaching in a clinical (physical therapy) setting. Coach Dee combines her scientific knowledge with years of hands-on experience and generational knowledge of food as medicine to create programs that empower clients to regain control over their bodies and minds.
Her journey into personal training was deeply influenced by her personal struggles, including recovering from a life-changing car accident that led to PTSD and pain from scoliosis. This experience gave her a unique understanding of the connection between mental health and physical well-being. Coach Dee is committed to helping clients develop resilience, build strength, and rediscover their confidence—no matter the challenges they face.
