KILSARAN WOMAN TACKLING FEELINGS
Louth woman Dr. Hannah McCormack chats to Olivia Ryan about mental health awareness
MIND over matter. Show some backbone. ‘ Man up’. Ever yday phrases that tell us to ‘ power t h r o u g h’ the tough times and carry on.
But just how effective, or ultimately damaging, can this attitude towards mental and emotional health really be?
Louth woman Dr. Hannah McCormack is hitting back at the grin and bear approach, with the Kilsaran native appointed campaign manager of the ‘ Tackle Your Feelings’ programme being run by Rugby Players Ireland in partnership with Zurich.
The job, she explains, came along just as she was working on her doctorate, focused on sports psychology.
‘I couldn’t believe it really, I had applied when I saw they were looking for a campaign manager, as it really tied in with the research I was doing. But I didn’t expect to get the call!’
A former pupil of St. Louis Secondary school, Hannah’s love of sport stretches back as far as she can remember. But it wasn’t until her uni years at DCU that she began playing rubgy.
‘It was my love of the sport which really introduced me to the area I’m working in now. The idea that players were ‘ training so hard physically, but weren’t maybe taking the same care of their mental and emotional health’ inspired Hannah’s interest in sports psychology.
She completed her BSc in Exercise Science, before completing her Masters in the University of Bangor, Wales.
In the new year she will graduate from the University of Limerick with a Ph.D in Sports Psychology, after carrying out innovative research into how Sports Psychologists care for their own mental wellbeing.
‘It’s another area that I was keen to look at, and it was really interesting. I’m glad I’ve been able to put a lot of what I have learned over the years into my job now.’
Research carried out by Rugby Players Ireland and Zurich reveals that it’s not just sportspeople who fail to prioritise their mental health.
Over one in four (26%) of the Leinster population rate their mental wellbeing as poor or very poor, The findings also show that 22% of people from Leinster consider how they are feeling less than once every few months. Whilst 91% of those surveyed reported that their mental wellbeing is important to them, almost half of respondents (46%) stated that they don’t do enough to ‘ Take Control’ of their mental wellbeing.
‘One of the reasons I was so drawn to working on the ‘ Tackle Your Feelings’ campaign is that it’s not just aimed at rugby players, or people in the sporting world, it has a much broader appeal, and can be a very beneficial tool for people from all walks of life,’ said Hannah.
She explains how the campaign ‘aims to promote a proactive attitude towards mental health and to provide people with the tools to focus on their mental wellbeing using sport psychology and positive psychology principles.’
‘ These really are tools that everyone can use in their daily lives, by encouraging them to take a little time out to consider how they are feeling.’
During her first year on the campaign, Hannah is thrilled to have been involved in the development of a new app and website ‘with practical tools to develop coping skills and enhance their support networks, including professional help when needed.’
Hannah adds that research indicated that many people only focused on their mental
I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT REALLY, I HAD APPLIED WHEN I SAW THEY WERE LOOKING FOR A CAMPAIGN MANAGER, AS IT REALLY TIED IN WITH THE RESEARCH I WAS DOING. BUT I DIDN’T EXPECT TO GET THE CALL
wellbeing when they had an issue or challenge.
‘But the idea is not to leave it until then, why not look after your mental health as much as your physical health on a daily basis, so that you can be the best version of yourself.’
The TYF app and website looks at a range of the issues which affect people on a daily or weekly basis, from relationships to confidence and happiness/sadness to sleep, self-care, resilience, anger, relaxation, optimism and self-awareness.
It also features a mindfulness section where users can select from several mindfulness exercises, a general and personal locker, a goals locker, the ability to write and record notes and the wellbeing indicator test.
‘We are updating the app and website all the time with new information, so it is relevant to what might be going on in people’s lives that day,’ added Hannanh. There will be a section where registered members can post to and become part of the Tackle Your Feelings community, championed by some of the biggest names in rugby
Visit the website www.tackleyourfeelings.com or download the app.