Merrin has launched Move Out Of Your Head, a non-profit project that encourages positive discussion and education about mental illness amongst young people. The initiative is starting with a social media dance challenge supported by the Kids Helpline.

“As an individual, you are encouraged to do your favourite dance, film it, upload it to social media and challenge a friend to dance, so we can keep the chain going. Those who prefer not to dance are encouraged to make a small donation to the Kids Helpline,” Merrin told Inside Sport.

“[We want to] demonstrate that there are simple and fun ways to ‘get out of our own heads’, and of course, that help is available for those who need it.”

Participants are instructed to be creative, tag Merrin (@trentmerrin) and the Kids Helpline (@kidshelplineau), and use the hashtag #moveoutofyourhead in their dance posts to ensure maximum visibility. Merrin has already uploaded his own enthusiastic dance video.

A post shared by Move Out Of Your Head (@moveoutofyourhead) on Mar 24, 2018 at 11:46pm PDT

“[I want to] encourage the community to use dancing when things don’t feel the greatest. I love to dance and it’s the perfect way to move energy from my head down to my body and shake it all out.” One in five Australians experience some form of mental illness each year, yet only one in four sufferers seek professional help.

Tracy Adams, CEO of the Kids Helpline, believes Merrin’s challenge can guide youth to find assistance. “[The Kids Helpline] work hard to put services in place to support those needing help, but this is an issue for the whole community,” Adams said in a statement.

“It’s great to see projects like ‘#moveoutofyourhead’ getting behind this issue, encouraging young people to speak up and get help when they need it.” Mental illness awareness and prevention has long been close to the heart of 28-year-old Merrin. He was bullied because of his weight as a child and, like most professional sportsmen, frequently cops verbal and online abuse. However, a strong mindset and support network has seen him through.

“I think most individuals struggle with mental health issues to a certain degree, and unfortunately it is something I have dealt with personally,” he said. “It is disappointing that any type of negative comments are being made, but it’s important, no matter who you are, not to take any of the negativity from others too seriously or personally.

“One strategy I like to use is to take negative comments as constructive criticism and believe they came from a good place and use them to build your personal character and turn negatives into positives. As professional athletes, it’s also our job to act as mentors and role models, so handling any negativity in a positive way is imperative.”

Move Out Of Your Head, which Merrin developed over the last eight months, isn’t the Australian Kangaroos representative’s only venture into the mental health space. He’s working towards a Bachelor of Psychology and mentors players coming through the ranks on how to effectively deal with the burden of expectation in the NRL.

“I want to make a positive impact now. If I can make even a small impact on someone’s life, then I have done my job correctly. It’s my biggest passion outside of rugby league, so being able to combine [the two] is something I am extremely grateful for.”

If you need assistance with mental health issues, contact Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 for youth or Lifeline on 13 11 14.