Crabb combines her Wales Women retainer contract with working as a self-employed personal trainer.
She says she’s recently found piece with her internal fight to never rest and ‘always do more’.
“I’ve realised recently that mental health affects all of us. We all have issues going on in our lives, either around the rugby environment or stuff we bring in from other areas of our lives.
“I just think we all need to be aware of what others may be going through, certain issues or that things we say may affect some more than others and we just need to tune into that a bit more.
“For me personally, I’ve always had a lot going on in my brain and I constantly want to give my best at everything I do but I’ve finally realised I can’t give everything 100% of my focus all of the time.”
Gwen recognises that being self-employed has its pros and cons in terms of work-life balance but the situation means she needs to be even more disciplined and make time for herself.
“I don’t rely on anyone and I can work more when I’m less busy with rugby which is a real plus, but you could end up working all the time. I’ve realised I appreciate time to myself – especially after a long campaign in a squad environment. I think it’s just about finding what works for you.
“Elite sport can be quite stressful physically and mentally but there are ways we can learn to cope better with those moments. Being part of a team also has great advantages and spending more time with each other means we feel we can open up if we need to.”
