FIGHTING BACK
A campaign for boxers to discuss mental health launches on Time to Talk Day, writes John Dennen
THURSDAY (February 7) is Time to Talk Day, a country-wide initiative to get the nation talking about mental health. To coincide with it England Boxing, the governing body for the amateur sport in this country, have launched a ‘Fighting Back’ campaign, encouraging people in boxing to feel able to talk about mental health problems.
Jordan Reynolds, a GB boxer and the reigning England Boxing Elite middleweight champion, is supporting the effort. He discussed his own experience and pointed out that sharing his worries, talking about the mental health problems he had when he was younger, was the first step towards making things better.
“Getting people to talk about these things is key,” Jordan said. “It affected me quite badly because of the circumstances I was in growing up... You can be speaking to someone and you seem normal to them, but you’ve actually got gunfire going off in your head.
“It’s important to tell others what’s happening, to have the confidence to speak about it and know that it’s alright to do so. Sometimes as boxers egos can get involved but actually a lot of boxers are sensitive souls, and you need to get your mental state right to perform at your best.”
England Boxing’s Matthew Williams put together this campaign. “I know just how difficult it can be to be open and admit that you need help,” he said. “The way we get more people to feel able to talk about things is by showing that it is OK to talk, and showing that in being open we can get the help and support needed to overcome mental health problems.
“So we would like to encourage the boxing community to share your stories of Fighting Back against a mental health problem, or how you have helped someone to do so, just as other people will be doing over the next few days. That way I believe we can have a truly massive impact on the many of us who are affected.”