It’s incredible to see teammates publicly supporting one another…especially when the don’t HAVE to.
Was sent a video yesterday of Josh Anderson of the Montreal Canadiens, addressing with the media, the situation where his teammate Johnathon Drouin had missed the entire previous playoff run to the Cup Finals, to take care of his mental health.
In the address Anderson spoke about his pride for his friend for making that decision. Pride for him working on himself/personally. And how he related to the burnout as an athlete – with the grueling schedules, constant social media barrages, & pressure to perform.
We’ve had many cases – high profile ones – where individual athletes/people w platforms have made a decision to step away for some time & prioritize their mental health. But when it’s been done, there haven’t been many teammates, coaches, players in their sports going BOLD in support & relatability, the way Anderson did.
That is what this space NEEDS. I hear all the time – “we are making progress, more people are talking up.” But are we? When it’s alone, & the backdrop understanding is that “1 in 5” people are affected, is society at large gaining any greater understanding about how this topic actually applies to ALL of us? How we are all on the SAME team? Or do we see those celebs in the “1 in 5” group?
When I first started healing in 2017, Prince Harry was the biggest celeb to share his story. It was shared ALONE. Bravely shared…but alone. That next year, the UK had a 30yr high in suicides.
To change the narrative, INDIVIDUAL heroes don’t/won’t do it. We need consistent talk, from teammates – in all “arenas” of life. We need consistent messaging about how we all struggle. How often do celeb advocates re-share mental health messages of others, with their own support/comments?
It’s why we put together, & I’m proud we have an alliance – examples from this week alone: Lehner’s SameHere helmet, to the SameHere Scale in Spanish speaking countries, to an Endurance Team proudly wearing the logo/sign on gear. It takes a village – not Celebs on their own. All of us. Let’s all hold hands.
