Orient Magazine Issue 73 - September 2019 | Page 48

Orient - The Official Magazine of the British Chamber of Commerce Singapore - Issue 73 September 2019

In the sporting world, there’s an increasing amount of awareness surrounding mental health and wellbeing. It’s extremely encouraging to see this becoming more commonplace, as athletes can sometimes be perceived as being bulletproof and naturally equipped to deal with high pressure situations and constantly being under the microscope. There’s a similar cross-over in the corporate sector as demands to perform are high and workers are expected to function at their peak on a daily basis.
In rugby, which I have had the pleasure of being involved in for 20 years at the top level, there has been several players speaking up on this topic and sharing their experience, an important action which is also happening in other high-profile sports. I have a similar story and am inspired by the opportunity to share it to be a role model for other current or past athletes struggling with the same issues.
I was enjoying a successful rugby career where I was gaining international honours, holding a world record, traveling the world and competing as part of high performing teams – on the outside, everything was perfect. I genuinely believed I was mentally tough and resilient but looking back, I realise that things weren’t all smooth sailing.
Whether you’re already struggling with mental health issues or not, there’s a real positive effect to focusing on this area to promote wellbeing. Being conscious of where we are psychologically and emotionally is an asset, and the first step to working towards mental agility. Embracing our mental space is hugely important and learning to work through emotions isn’t necessarily easy, but the long-term benefits are undeniable.

Early Life
I have always had a passion for sport and as a kid, it was my dream to become a professional athlete. Early on in life, this dream was slowed down as I was a heavy asthmatic, spending a lot of my childhood in and out of hospital and testing different medications to see if things would improve. I was diagnosed at a very young age as having the lungs of a 70-year-old chain smoker. This wasn’t helped by the fact that I was hyper-active and came from a family of six boys, so I wanted to be on the move and running around with my brothers constantly. Unfortunately, the reality was that my bursts of activity didn’t last long before an asthma attack struck. I was well supported by my parents and doctors and miraculously, the health of my lungs started to improve. As soon as my lungs allowed, I didn’t look back and was outside every minute I got, kicking a ball, chasing my brothers and harnessing the new lease on life it gave me.
My dream became a reality when, in my last year of school, I signed a professional Rugby contract with Harlequins. The very day that school finished, I packed up my gear and drove off to London. This was an extremely exciting time, but also a little daunting. I ask myself now if I was ready for the moment when it all began – I was certainly ready to play hard and give rugby my all, but could I have managed my thoughts and expectations both