Figuring out what to do next
Some guidance please!
For those of you who are new here, last week I decided to experiment with reposting my blogs on Twitter in the form of threads, and the results have made for an interesting week.
I started with sharing how I got my parkrun PB, and then the steps for how I beat depression, and was surprised by the response.
Then to see if that was a fluke, I re-wrote my blog about why retiring is hard and got a similar result.
Now the old Ben would rush off to write more threads, because I’m desperate to get the message out that exercising with friends is one of the best things you can do for your physical and mental health.
But the new Ben wants to slow down for long enough to understand why.
Why am I getting this response?
Is it because I’m a retired sports person with a journalism degree who can write? Or is it something else and could be just because I’ve shared how I really feel? Something that blokes don’t do often.
I’ve received multiple requests for interviews from various media outlets, but I’m struggling to fit all the interviews in with work, the Dock, Alfred and the girls.
What should I do?
I also want to warn people about the dangers of letting their whole identity be tied to what they do for work, because when the day that something outside their control happens and things don’t go to plan… they’ll be in a dark place for long time like I was.
Help me Obi-Wan-Kenobi. You're my only hope.
Hi Benny - I've always felt that personal experience is a critical requirement for someone to have credibility in talking about mental health issues. Its unfortunate, but I find I have trouble accepting advice and help from people who dont have the 'scars' to prove that they have been through it and know exactly what its like.
I can imagine a similar thing applies to professional athletes - when it comes to talking about training, performance expectations and media scrutiny, you would probably only relate to someone who has been on the big stage and knows exactly what its like.
In this sense, you are a rare commodity - someone who has true credibility in the eyes of professional athletes to talk about mental health challenges. I dont think this status places any 'obligation' on you to engage in the issues publicly, but I would suggest putting yourself back in the shoes of Ben Alexander at the beginning of the year in 2010. If someone with your credibility was delivering this message in a public forum which would likely reach you, could it have helped you?
Hi Ben
Youve mentioned the struggle to transition from pro athlete back to regular guy. What about when you transitioned from amateur rugby player to professional plyer at the brumbies? How did this go? What were some of the challenges? Thanks Alex