Imagine | Winter 2024
A digital magazine from Irwin Mitchell
Imagine | Winter 2024 A digital magazine from Irwin Mitchell
Imagine | Winter 2024
A digital magazine from Irwin Mitchell
On International Men’s Day, we hosted a webinar with guests from England Rugby, British Athletics, and the Black Footballers Partnership. The panel explored the importance of mental wellbeing in sport and everyday life.
Men’s mental wellbeing is spoken about more now than ever before. But, according to our panel, more still needs to be done to encourage men to speak out when things aren’t right.
Our webinar host, former army officer and now a consultant in our Organisational Development team, Rob Siddall was joined by England Rugby’s attack coach, Richard Wigglesworth, British Athletics’ 400m sprinter Martyn Rooney, and former Birmingham City and Derby County captain from the Black Footballers Partnership Michael Johnson.
The conversation focused on sport and men’s mental health, but Rob was keen to capture lessons that everyone can apply to their own situation.
The message was clear, it’s OK not to be OK.
40% of men won't talk about a mental health challenge and how they’re feeling.
Rob Siddall
The locker room mentality
Suicide in England and Wales is three times more common among men than women and the gap between sexes has increased over time. Sadly, the pressure of societal expectations to be a masculine man means men are less likely to share their feelings, often leaving them to suffer in silence.
The men’s locker room is a classic, testosterone-fueled environment of masculinity, bravado, and strength. Men are seen as tough if they play through a physical injury and this attitude often continues back in the changing room.
Speaking about his experience of male mental health in a rugby changing room, Richard says, “I think it’s a very traditional stance that it would be some sort of sign of weakness to talk about it.
“We’re very good at bottling up our feelings and trying to tough it out.
“We’ve normalised that over a long period of time. There’s no way anyone who’s been involved in a professional sports team hasn't seen guys going through tough times.”
Rob, who served in the military touring Northern Ireland and Afghanistan and spent time as Jungle Warfare Instructor in Belize and Brunei agrees. He recalls a regimental medical officer addressing a squad of 500 men about mental health following a tour.
The officer asked anyone with any mental health issues to raise their hand and come to the front of the room. Rob questions whether you’d find anyone willing to put themselves forward in that scenario with everyone watching.
40% of men won't talk about a mental health challenge and how they’re feeling.
Rob Siddall
The locker room mentality
Suicide in England and Wales is three times more common among men than women and the gap between sexes has increased over time. Sadly, the pressure of societal expectations to be a masculine man means men are less likely to share their feelings, often leaving them to suffer in silence.
The men’s locker room is a classic, testosterone-fueled environment of masculinity, bravado, and strength. Men are seen as tough if they play through a physical injury and this attitude often continues back in the changing room.
Speaking about his experience of male mental health in a rugby changing room, Richard says,
“I think it’s a very traditional stance that it would be some sort of sign of weakness to talk about it. We’re very good at bottling up our feelings and trying to tough it out.
“We’ve normalised that over a long period of time. There’s no way anyone who’s been involved in a professional sports team hasn't seen guys going through tough times.”
Rob, who served in the military touring Northern Ireland and Afghanistan and spent time as Jungle Warfare Instructor in Belize and Brunei agrees. He recalls a regimental medical officer addressing a squad of 500 men about mental health following a tour.
The officer asked anyone with any mental health issues to raise their hand and come to the front of the room. Rob questions whether you’d find anyone willing to put themselves forward in that scenario with everyone watching.
Causes of mental health issues
Michael recalled the downhill slope he found himself on when he stopped playing football after 20 years. “The most important thing for me was that the Saturday afternoon I’d become so accustomed to had gone, and I started to lose my real purpose.”
He found himself “waffling” to hide the fact he didn’t know what he was doing. He started putting on weight, then he struggled to get out of bed. Michael didn’t realise, but he was sinking into depression.
Richard recalls something similar. He played his final competitive game on a Saturday, and just two days later he started his new role as head coach. The sudden change in routine and responsibility saw him go from exercising most days in training, to being the person who set the training. In that two-week period, he exercised only twice and said, “I felt awful”.
With physical injuries, you can often pinpoint the cause – a mistimed tackle, pulled hamstring or a trip, for instance. But with mental wellbeing, it can be difficult to see it coming and when it does, hard to accept and admit.
Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson
Causes of mental health issues
Michael recalled the downhill slope he found himself on when he stopped playing football after 20 years. “The most important thing for me was that the Saturday afternoon I’d become so accustomed to had gone, and I started to lose my real purpose.”
He found himself “waffling” to hide the fact he didn’t know what he was doing. He started putting on weight, then he struggled to get out of bed. Michael didn’t realise, but he was sinking into depression.
Richard recalls something similar. He played his final competitive game on a Saturday, and just two days later he started his new role as head coach. The sudden change in routine and responsibility saw him go from exercising most days in training, to being the person who set the training. In that two-week period, he exercised only twice and said, “I felt awful”.
With physical injuries, you can often pinpoint the cause – a mistimed tackle, pulled hamstring or a trip, for instance. But with mental wellbeing, it can be difficult to see it coming and when it does, hard to accept and admit.
Tackling the stigma
Track star Martyn joined the athletics space when he was relatively young, and thanks the support network he’s had around him for his mental strength. But he’s a firm believer that it’s acceptable to be open about needing support with your mental health from “day dot.”
He says, “I think it’s something that can be open to anybody at any age, and it takes bravery. Maybe it does take somebody to be a bit more mature and understand that it’s not an issue to do it. So maybe it does happen later in careers, but any stage you need it, you should be able to reach out.”
Richard supports this and wants more men to speak out. “The more stories that we can get athletes, men, and people to hear, the better. Because it’s absolutely essential that we don’t have men suffering in silence and that they feel like they’ve got a place to go.”
Michael’s a firm believer that men can and will open up with the right environment. “You need somebody you can knock on the door to have a conversation with, without fear that your manliness, or manhood, or whatever is under threat. In certain eyes you’re showing an element of weakness. You’re actually speaking up which is a sign of strength because you’re trying to make sure you get better.”
Thankfully, the feeling is that things are improving. Richard says, “I do feel that times have changed hugely and that when people do speak up, I think it is almost celebrated to encourage others.”
Rob agrees with this. While he used to avoid talking about it, he’s now very open about his battles with depression and PTSD. He says, “We create those environments where it is OK to talk. You know it’s not necessarily going to be a big broadcast but there’s definitely ways that we can get individuals talking in a format that works for them.”
Martyn Rooney
Martyn Rooney
Tackling the stigma
Track star Martyn joined the athletics space when he was relatively young, and thanks the support network he’s had around him for his mental strength. But he’s a firm believer that it’s acceptable to be open about needing support with your mental health from “day dot.”
He continued, “I think it’s something that can be open to anybody at any age, and it takes bravery. Maybe it does take somebody to be a bit more mature and understand that it’s not an issue to do it. So maybe it does happen later in careers, but any stage you need it, you should be able to reach out.”
Richard supports this and wants more men to speak out. “The more stories that we can get athletes, men, and people to hear, the better. Because it’s absolutely essential that we don't have men suffering in silence and that they feel like they’ve got a place to go.”
Michael’s a firm believer that men can and will open up with the right environment. “You need somebody you can knock on the door to have a conversation with, without fear that your manliness, or manhood, or whatever is under threat. In certain eyes you’re showing an element of weakness. You’re actually speaking up which is a sign of strength because you’re trying to make sure you get better.”
Thankfully, the feeling is that things are improving. Richard says, “I do feel that times have changed hugely and that when people do speak up, I think it is almost celebrated to encourage others.”
Rob agrees with this. While he used to avoid talking about it, he’s now very open about his battles with depression and PTSD. He says, “We create those environments where it is OK to talk. You know it’s not necessarily going to be a big broadcast but there’s definitely ways that we can get individuals talking in a format that works for them.”
The more we can normalise people speaking up when
they’re struggling, the quicker we can help them on the road to feeling great again.
Richard Wigglesworth
The more we can normalise people speaking up when they’re struggling, the quicker we can help them on the road to feeling great again.
Richard Wigglesworth
Bouncing back
The key thing for Michael on his road to recovery was acceptance. It was important for him to admit that this is where he was in his life.
Once he accepted that his career as a footballer had come to an end, Michael started to look at the future, involving himself and exploring new things.
He says, “Having good people around you and a good support network is important. I started to open up to them and really unpick why I was in the place I was in.”
Four tips to build resilience
Rob asked the panel what we can all do on a day-to-day basis to maintain a better headspace. They offered four simple tips:
Make a routine
Having a routine and structure to your day is a “pillar to work from.”
Get enough sleep
Going to bed at a reasonable time and making sure you get enough rest is really important.
Do some exercise
Even if it is just a 20-minute blast around the park or something, get your endorphins going and your heart rate up and it can really make a difference.
Stay hydrated
If you’re having a difficult day, it can help a lot to hydrate and avoid alcohol.
Make a routine
Having a routine and structure to your day is a “pillar to work from.”
Get enough sleep
Going to bed at a reasonable time and making sure you get enough rest is really important.
Do some exercise
Even if it is just a 20-minute blast around the park or something, get your endorphins going and your heart rate up and it can really make a difference.
Stay hydrated
If you’re having a difficult day, it can help a lot to hydrate and avoid alcohol.
Advice for line managers
The panel offered advice for coaches in sport, or line managers in business who see colleagues struggling.
Richard says, “I think as a leader, you’ve got to show your own vulnerability. Gone are the days of barking at everyone to try and get them to work harder for longer so that you get results out of them. They need to see the human side of you.
“Everyone will have gone through some sort of struggle to get to where they are, and I think the more you can share what you’ve been through it you may open that channel up for someone to be more forthcoming with their feelings.”
England Rugby’s attack coach also added, “It’s upskilling yourself as a coach and a manager to spot the signs, and make sure you’re not fully focused on outcomes. If you’re people focused, you’ll often notice a lot more.”
Our audience also asked the panel what you should do if you spot someone isn’t themselves, but they haven’t noticed. Rob recalls going for a walk with his usually upbeat friend and noticing for the second time in a row that he was overly negative about work and things in his life. Rob felt able to speak out and said, “Can I make an observation; the last two times we’ve met you’ve seemed really negative and that’s not like you. Is everything alright?”
Although not straight away, his friend admitted things weren’t quite right. By starting the conversation, Rob was able to support his friend to take positive steps.
If, however you don’t have the right relationship with someone to raise it with them, Richard suggests flagging it to someone who you think can have that conversation, like their line manager perhaps, or even your own.
He says, “It’s asking who’s best placed to speak to them, who knows them best, and not trying to rush in and save the day.”
Advice for line managers
The panel offered advice for coaches in sport, or line managers in business who see colleagues struggling.
Richard says, “I think as a leader, you’ve got to show your own vulnerability. Gone are the days of barking at everyone to try and get them to work harder for longer so that you get results out of them. They need to see the human side of you.
Everyone will have gone through some sort of struggle to get to where they are, and I think the more you can share what you’ve been through it you may open that channel up for someone to be more forthcoming with their feelings.”
England Rugby’s attack coach also added, “It’s upskilling yourself as a coach and a manager to spot the signs, and make sure you’re not fully focused on outcomes. If you’re people focused, you’ll often notice a lot more.”
Our audience also asked the panel what you should do if you spot someone isn’t themselves, but they haven’t noticed.
Rob recalls going for a walk with his usually upbeat friend and noticing for the second time in a row that he was overly negative about work and things in his life.
Rob felt able to speak out and said, “Can I make an observation; the last two times we’ve met you’ve seemed really negative and that’s not like you. Is everything alright?”
Although not straight away, his friend admitted things weren’t quite right. By starting the conversation, Rob was able to support his friend to take positive steps.
If, however you don’t have the right relationship with someone to raise it with them, Richard suggests flagging it to someone who you think can have that conversation, like their line manager perhaps, or even your own.
He says, “It’s asking who’s best placed to speak to them, who knows them best, and not trying to rush in and save the day.”
Watch the recording
Rob, Richard, Martyn, and Michael were extremely brave to share their stories and offer advice based on their own experiences. It’s only by talking openly that we can tackle the stigma around male mental health and encourage more people to speak out and get help.
You can watch the full recording here: