[ M E N TA L
H E A LT H ]
Fall down seven
times, stand up eight
For World Mental Health Day on 10 October, a senior buy-sider shared his
story with The TRADE about his struggles with mental health issues.
I
t would be reasonably straight-
forward for me to use this
forum to talk about a subject
such as the impact of MiFID II, the
Share Trading Obligation or algo
wheels. I am relatively comfortable
there. However, one of my former
bosses always used a great phrase:
“Get uncomfortable”.
Upon reviewing the recent In-
ternational Trader Forum agenda,
I noted that there was nothing on
the timetable for mental health and
awareness. I understand why, it’s
difficult to talk about. However,
World Mental Health day is a good
time to discuss what still seems a
taboo subject. Even in an increas-
ingly electronic world, the industry
is still driven by humans. The
wellbeing of those individuals and
teams is therefore paramount.
One in four people globally have
suffered a mental health issue. I
am one of those people. My wife
16 // TheTrade // Winter 2019
and I separated almost a decade
ago, not long after the birth of our
twins. Life suddenly became very
hard, we had three children under
three years old and it was extreme-
ly challenging. We struggled. I
was neither a supportive enough
husband nor father.
Subsequently, we separated and
that’s when I suffered my mental
health issues. On my own, I had
time to assess my life, probably
too much time, to contemplate
everything. I would spend hours
at the weekend, just walking and
ultimately suffering depression
that led to suicidal thoughts.
Reflecting back at that time now
is hard but incredibly cathartic. At
the time, I didn’t open up my true
feelings to anyone. I was struggling
but continued to work, smile and
act normally. I’d grown up in an
era where the phrase “man up”
was almost constantly uttered at
those showing emotion. I never felt
comfortable telling anyone that I
was really struggling.
One day I realised I had to get
help and needed to open up. I don’t
really know what triggered that,
but I hit a low point and could not
take it anymore. That was the best
thing I ever did. Suddenly, I real-
ised that sharing my vulnerabilities
actually made me a stronger and
better person.
Around that time, whilst reading
the basketball coach Phil Jackson’s
autobiography, I came across the
Japanese proverb “Fall down seven
times, stand up eight”. It is a great
mantra. Life will knock you and,
you know what, it's fine to fall
down, but we have to keep standing
up and develop that resilience.
The rate of suicides in Britain
rose sharply in 2018 to its highest
level since 2002 according to the
Office for National Statistics. A