Running is Bess way to manage lockdown stress
ENGLAND spinner Dom Bess revealed keeping on top of his fitness has proven a suitable distraction from the anxiety he felt when learning the country was going into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Bess last month opened up about his mental health struggles and he discussed the topic further, including what can influence his “triggers”, in a chat with former Somerset team-mate Marcus Trescothick.
The pair’s conversation during Mental Health Awareness week took place on Zoom, a necessity due to the Government measures imposed by the ongoing public health crisis.
He said: “I’ve actually been alright during the lockdown. I was very anxious about the situation, not knowing how long it could be, but getting that structure in has really helped me.
“Getting out running and fit always gets me in a positive mindset and having a bit of structure.
“I know how it affects me. I always call them triggers. Even little things like the weather. It is funny how little things like that can just change the whole atmosphere within my mood. There are times where it’s been really bad and I really struggle to get out of bed and the motivation is not there any more.
“I struggle with that quite a lot and getting going is always the hardest part for me, certainly in this lockdown.
“There’s been little triggers but I’m fortunate enough to have two people in my household, my girlfriend and my housemate, to make sure that I’m all right and keep going with it.”
Bess reignited his Test career with a five-wicket haul against South Africa in Port Elizabeth in January, part of a busy winter in which he also travelled to India, Australia and Sri Lanka.
The 22-year-old cited working with a psychologist who knows nothing about cricket – funded by the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, a Pca-associated charity created to support the health and wellbeing of members and their immediate families – as crucial to his development in recent months. He added: “Getting someone away from the game was so helpful for me, because it was as much outside life for me as it was about cricket. She is absolutely amazing and she only lives half-anhour away. “She certainly helped me plan the tours. I was really anxious about going away and I was hoping I was going to be okay, but we had quite a few sessions to get a real understanding of putting things into place to manage it. Offloading is a really hard thing to do but knowing you’ve got someone there is massive. I genuinely do feel a weight off my shoulders.”
Bess was one of 40 current players supported in 2019 by the Trust, which is set for a £250,000 shortfall this year because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Getting out running and fit always gets me in a positive mindset and having a bit of structure. Dom Bess