It’s time for a break: sports, feelings and the right to mental health wellbeing

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Last month Luke Humphries the world number one Darts player, came out stating on X that he would no longer share his feelings in public.

“Considering the comments and people not understanding what I meant, it will be the last time I ever confess my real feelings to the public.” Humphries statement which you could sense was born out of frustration and upset, came in response to him openly discussing the state of his mental health a day before on Sky Sports. In his interview he had been speaking about his work becoming a “chore”, despite winning in the second round of the International Darts Open, against fellow player Dirk van Duijvenbode. As a result, he needed a break to protect his mental wellbeing. His honest revelation was met with some backlash on social media, to the tune of him not being able to complain given how much he got paid.

Such a response towards Humphries takes us backwards in cultivating environments where it’s okay to speak out, especially post-pandemic where people were encouraged to open up regarding their mental health and wellbeing, and where men historically have been stigmatised for talking about their emotions. This conversation however is not just about men’s mental health, and nor is it about just Humphries and other sportspersons alike, however using his experience opens us up to a conversation around how organisations, or different workplace cultures can foster effective employee productivity, and why it matters.

In fact, it was Dr Linda Duffy, the chartered psychologist and former England darts captain said in support of Humphries opening up, that the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and the Professional Darts Players Association’s (PDPA), must look after players, otherwise they will suffer from burnout, especially as the sport in this new era becomes more ambitious.

Delving deeper into Humphries statement, the main issue he seemed to be referring to, was around the increased number of matches that he had to play. As a result, playing had become monotonous:

 

“I’m playing too much.

I need to give something away, I need a break.

It’s no good for my mental state.”

 

His account sems to hint to the joy of work being removed from what he was doing, and this understanding had been lost, I believe, in translation. It was Mark Twain who famously said “find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” 

 

Written by Dr Ope Lori

 

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Extra Holidays, Extra Staff Satisfaction, Extra Productivity

Photo by Linus Mimietz on Unsplash

When I first moved to Sweden, I was taken aback by the way the country basically closes down for the summer. For five to six weeks, many workplaces shut, and employees head off to their cabins in the forest or along the coast. People move to a slower pace of life, with an emphasis on being together, eating good food and enjoying nature. From my American perspective, I couldn’t understand it. Wasn’t working long hours and making lots of money the most important aspect of a workplace? How could you be dedicated to your job if you went swimming all summer long? I was used to the concept of having a two-week summer vacation at most in the US and I thought that this protestant, capitalist focus on working hard throughout the year was what made society successful.

However, living in Sweden helped me realise that far from being a hindrance to a growing economy and personally satisfying careers, long breaks actually contributed to just those things. People benefit from having a significant chunk of time to rest and refresh. Their moods improve from spending the long sunny days (and long sunny nights – Sweden is quite far north, after all, and the midnight sun is a reality there) with their friends and family and devoting attention to their hobbies and passions. In mid-August, they return to work feeling revitalised and energetic, and are able to dive back into their tasks with a renewed sense of purpose and pleasure.

I began to adapt my work schedule to the Swedish one, enjoying not just the long summer break, but also the “sports holiday” in February (when many people go skiing), and more extensive periods off of work at other points in the year too. Another surprising aspect of the workplace there was the fact that people came to work at 8.30 or 9 am (not earlier), took one or two extended coffee-and-pastry breaks (the infamous “fika”) each day to chat with their colleagues, got plenty of things done, and still clocked off on time, without bringing work home with them. Sure, there were some obsessive workers, but they were viewed with some suspicion. In fact, someone once described me as “industrious”, and he meant it in a pejorative sense, because he thought I worked more than a good Swede should. The norm there was a careful work-life balance, where it was implicitly understood that time away from work contributed to people’s mental well-being, which in turn ultimately benefitted the workplace.

To read the full article, “Protest: When the Dust Has Settled”, you must be a PILAA Member.