I was planning on taking a day off posting, & then this news came down. I’ve heard many angles from folks w many diff opinions about how being “mentally worn down from ongoing physical rehab & re-injury” does not come under the umbrella of mental health.
I’ve heard comments like – if he had a “real” job he wouldn’t have the luxury of stepping down bc he’d need to work. I’ve heard ppl say this is a “millennial/snowflake issue,” where when the going gets rough, this group just crumbles.
Here’s the thing – burnout is REAL, & it doesn’t matter where it comes from. Is Luck “lucky” that he can just walk away when others can’t afford to do so? Yes. HOWEVER, that he prioritized his health (& in a big part his MH) over football, is a huge statement to the world. We are at a 30yr high in suicides, we have an opioid crisis, 1 million ppl in America alone miss work every day bc of what is categorized as “stress.”
I get it, we can’t all retire w millions in the bank at an early age. That said, I hope this serves as an example that our HEALTH is more important than what we are passionate about. I, myself, didn’t realize that & worked through burnout, till my mind literally fell apart. Luck noticed his love for football was waning (THAT is telltale sign of burnout), & fortunately for him he’s stepping away BEFORE that breakdown that I & so many others have had. Maybe we can’t all leave our jobs, but maybe this will convince more folks out there – just battling through w/o taking measures to get healthy, isn’t the way to go.