Mental health matters
in the motor trade.
Service departments are high-pressure environments. Technicians, advisors, parts teams and managers carry stress differently — but it all connects. UnderTorque Community exists to normalise talking, sharing tools that help, and supporting each other without judgement.
- A safe, trade-focused space
- Support and practical coping tools
- Shared experiences, not “lectures”
- Medical advice
- Judgement or blame
- “Man up” culture
Why mental health is so important in the service department
A dealership can feel like a pressure cooker. Targets, time, customer expectations, parts delays, comebacks, diagnosis stress — it’s constant. When mental health drops, it doesn’t just affect one person. It affects the whole system: communication, quality, safety, and teamwork.
- Short tempers, conflict and “blame loops” between departments
- Loss of concentration (mistakes, missed steps, reduced safety)
- Lower confidence and motivation
- Burnout, absence, and people leaving the trade
- More comebacks — because tired minds miss things
Supporting mental health isn’t a “nice extra” — it’s part of building a stable, high-performing team.
Different roles, different pressure
Everyone carries stress differently — but it all connects. Understanding each other makes the whole department stronger.
Diagnosis pressure, time targets, interruptions, comebacks, and responsibility for safety-critical work.
Frontline stress: customer emotions, constant calls, updates, delays you can’t control, and needing answers fast.
Constant urgency, wrong parts, backorders, and being stuck between workshop demand and supplier reality.
Targets, staffing, escalations, and keeping everything stable when the system is stretched thin.
My way of dealing with mental health: climbing
Climbing has become one of the best things I’ve ever done for my mental health — not just because it’s exercise, but because it works your head in the right way.
Every route is a puzzle: where your hands go, where your feet need to be, how you move your body, when to slow down, when to commit, and when to reset. Sometimes success comes from one small change — a different foot placement, a calmer breath, or a better sequence. That mindset carries straight into real-world fault finding.
When you’re halfway up a wall and everything is screaming at you to rush, you learn to breathe, focus, and take one good move at a time. Climbing trains you to stay present instead of spiralling — and that helps massively when work gets heavy.
Climbing is built on trust. You literally put your safety in someone else’s hands. You have to communicate clearly, then accept you can’t control everything — you have to trust your belayer to do their job properly.
- It’s okay to rely on other people
- It’s okay to ask for support
- It’s okay to let someone else “hold the rope” sometimes
Climbing isn’t just for the young or the super-fit. You can keep doing it as long as you’re fit and well. It grows with you — easier sessions when you need a reset, harder challenges when you want to push. It gives you a long-term outlet that stays yours, even when work is intense.
Climbing is my “reset button”, but everyone’s reset looks different — gym, walking, fishing, music, gaming, running, family time. The important bit is having something that brings you back to yourself.
Join the community
This page is the “why”. The community is where we share what helps — coping strategies, routines, and support from people who get the trade. If you’re in the motor trade (tech, service, parts, managers), you’re welcome.
- Trade-focused conversations (no fluff)
- Practical tools that people actually use
- Support without judgement