Bari McKenzie keen to help others as ice hockey ace opens up on mental health support
That is a mindset that doesn’t eradicate issues or anxiety but instead pushes them deeper and deeper into the subconscious until they can be suppressed no more. And at that point there are only two options: address it and seek help. Or don’t.
“It came to a point last year when I was miserable and things were coming to a head,” he admits. “I was really struggling with a few things. One was about money I felt I was owed. Plus there were doubts over whether I had made the right decision to leave Fife. That just tipped me over. “I had never felt down or depressed like that before. I’d always just been happy and played my hockey. But when I spoke to a professional, they said there were things that happened in the past that were maybe triggers that I wasn’t aware of and how I was feeling was like PTSD . Things you thought were minor in the past maybe stayed with you.
“I never came out publicly about it until the Keeno situation but I felt I had to say something after that,” he adds. “If you’re struggling you’ve got to get help. There’s no shame in it. A lot of folk struggle but there’s this big macho thing attached to hockey and people don’t want to admit it. “I got a lot of positive feedback from that, both in the group and one to one. I had been in a bad situation – not to the extent of what happened with Keeno – and knew what it felt like to be low, depressed, having anxiety etc. It takes over your life and it’s horrible. Talking is the best way to get through it.”
“When Keeno passed away there was a big thing at the time about mental health and having to do something. But now if you look at social media, especially around hockey, there’s nothing. It’s like it’s already been forgotten about.
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