LooseHeadz partner up to tackle mental health and break down mental health stigmas

One week on from ‘Blue Monday,’ the mental health crisis in the United Kingdom continues to grow out of control.

Since 2017, demand for crisis mental health services has doubled and risen by a third since the COVID-19 pandemic and sport has been heavily impacted as well.

“In the rugby community, people don’t talk about their mental health. The pressures of being a professional athlete and looking a certain way were never discussed,” said Abi Burton, a member of the GB 7s squad.

For Burton, being a high performing athlete has its hardships. Nights out would include people calling her a man and other bullying her boyfriend for not being as strong as her.

“My coping mechanism over the years was eating, it was all I would do. When I was sad I would eat loads and then throw it back up,” said Burton

“I grew up in a family where my dad was a rugby player, my mum used to play rugby and my brother plays rugby. My dad was one of those people who I never saw cry, he never talked about his emotions,” said  Nancy Morel, a content creator who lives with a skin condition.

The charity recently partnered up with Polar Events to create a safe place for a panel to share their mental health journeys with an audience including university rugby players, a demographic where speaking about mental health has been challenging in the past and continues to be in some cases, something LooseHeadz are hoping to change.  

Morel was part of the panel and is striving for body image stigmas to be shattered and for everyone, particularly those in sport to have a safe space to talk about how the world impacts them. 

“When I’m having a bad day or I’m hearing these comments from people I remember who I am. I’m an Olympian, a professional rugby player who went to my first Olympics at age 21,” said Burton

“I’m living my best life,” was what came to the forefront of her mind to inspire herself.

Burton is now a LooseHeadz ambassador and shares in their vision that by building a community, united around a shared mission, they can begin to turn the tide against poor mental health.

While sport is proven to improve people’s livelihoods, getting positive messages filtered into clubs up and down the country continues to be a challenge.

 When faced with barriers such as ingrained attitudes which don’t allow people, particularly men, to express how they are really feeling, charities such as LooseHeadz are doing much needed work to change the culture in sporting communities.

 Their mission is simple; to place a mental health lead into every rugby club around the world, and equip them with a toolkit of resources to help tackle the stigma.

The charity recently partnered up with Polar Events to create a safe place for a panel to share their mental health journeys with an audience including university rugby players, a demographic where speaking about mental health has been challenging in the past and continues to be in some cases, something LooseHeadz are hoping to change.  

Matii Cripps is digital creator and advocate for LGBTQIA+ representation. He shares in the power of LooseHeadz and the impact the charity can have on young people’s lives in particular.

“I think it’s great to see a charity try and push for men’s mental health as well because I feel like sometimes men’s health, especially within sports, is very centered around putting on a brave face and pushing forward.

 “People don’t want to stand there and sadly hear about maybe the negative side of all these sorts of things but it’s nice that they [LooseHeadz] have created a situation where we can talk about it,” added Cripps who has received death threats following his posts on Instagram and TikTok.

LooseHeadz and advocates like the three panelists provide a much needed voice in the fight to conquer this mental health crisis both in person and in the digital world.

The trio all expressed the power that sport has to transform lives and help people rediscover the positives that light has to offer. Until this message is fully embraced up and down the country, the population will continue to struggle through this mental health crisis.

Anyone who would like to access support can find a range of links to services on the LooseHeadz website here:

https://looseheadz.co.uk/pages/help-support.