WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sportstar|December 14, 2019
Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.
K. C. Vijaya Kumar
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH

Sport is supposed to be macho. Lips can be split, limbs could be bruised, a tooth may be knocked out but you are supposed to wipe that blood away, splash some water on your face and get on with the game, which for many of its followers, leaps into the realm of multiple battles. As the saying goes, sport is war minus the shooting.

But it takes a toll. Remember, behind that glorious cover drive there could be a twitchy forearm, a fragile heart and a mind as vulnerable as a burnt twig on a forest floor. Sport at large and cricket specifically have taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.

Glenn Maxwell is an Aussie super-hero, the kind who chews nails, parts seas and has a laugh when the required run-rate shows inflationary tendencies. When he opted for a mental-break citing the fog in his mind and the anxiety attacks lurking just below his smiling visage, we knew that for all the toughness that most athletes exude, eventually it is a facade aimed at preventing us from peering into their souls.

It is a fallacy that we all believe in at the sub-conscious level — death, depression, defeats, and debts may happen to others but not to us. It is a defence mechanism but one fraught with danger. When the breaking point wraps around our necks like a noose, we choke, clam up but still have our showers, spray deodorants and stride out as if nothing can fling a dagger at us.

Cricketers and actors take this to the next level till they dangle at the precipice and then either a voluntary disclosure or a perceptive friend offers an alternate path. Maxwell has picked his road to recovery and he surely isn’t the last celebrity, who will bare his or her vulnerabilities. The truth is that under the limelight, the mind’s intangible cracks cannot be plastered with a smile that never reaches the eyes.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SPORTSTARView all
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Sportstar

Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears

Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.

time-read
1 min  |
March 21, 2020
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
Sportstar

Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT

What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 8, 2020
The making of a batting behemoth
Sportstar

The making of a batting behemoth

If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.

time-read
4 mins  |
February 8, 2020
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
Sportstar

WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...

It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.

time-read
6 mins  |
February 8, 2020
A question of recognition
Sportstar

A question of recognition

After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 8, 2020
Thinking straight, thinking right!
Sportstar

Thinking straight, thinking right!

“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.

time-read
7 mins  |
December 14, 2019
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Sportstar

The Big Three and the Next Gen

Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.

time-read
9 mins  |
December 14, 2019
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sportstar

WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH

Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 14, 2019
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Sportstar

Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room

Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 14, 2019
The league of the masses
Sportstar

The league of the masses

With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 14, 2019