Support from friends, family, teams and managers is an important element in maintaining mental wellbeing according to new research commissioned as part of the Tackle Your Feelings Campaign from Rugby Players Ireland.

70 per cent of respondents across the rugby community had good or very good wellbeing scores.

The top three coping mechanisms they used to cope with the period were physical exercise, self-distraction and humour, while almost 90 per cent found that lockdown was ‘moderately stressful.

The Tackle Your Feelings app encourages people to be proactive about their mental wellbeing, with the wider research revealing that less than half the people on the island of Ireland (48%) don’t actively manage their mental wellbeing as part of their daily routine.

Relationships

Users can choose the Tackle Your Feelings resources they feel they need at the time. The app and website also feature sections on Relationships, Confidence, Happiness/Sadness, Sleep, Self-Care, Resilience, Anger, Relaxation, Optimism & Self-Awareness. It also has a mindfulness section where users can select from several mindfulness exercises.

Ireland and Munster Rugby Player and Tackle Your Feelings ambassador, CJ Stander is encouraging people to rally around their loved ones and continue to support one another.

First launched by Rugby Players Ireland in 2016 and funded by Zurich and the Z Zurich Foundation, Tackle Your Feelings has announced the Tackle Your Feelings Pro add-on as part of the #ImTakingControl campaign which encourages people to ‘Take Control’ of their mental wellbeing using principles from both sport and positive psychology.

“It’s great to be training and playing rugby again after such a long time without it,” said Stander. “I understand that rugby player are the lucky ones. I’m hoping that my story will help people as they try to cope with the next few weeks of lockdown.”

Rally Around

“It is important, not just for rugby players, but for everyone to rally around each other during this frustrating and troubling time. When I first moved to Ireland, my wife, coaches, teammates and local community made the transition so much easier. Talking to loved ones and friends, even on the phone, about how you’re feeling can make them more aware of what you’re going through and, ultimately, that can only be helpful.”

“With the uncertainty around life continuing as we head towards Christmas, maintaining and improving our mental wellbeing is more important than ever,” added Anthony Brennan, CEO of Zurich Ireland.

“We believe CJ’s story of how he ‘takes control’ will not only encourage players to be more proactive when it comes to minding their own mental health and wellbeing but will also inspire the general Irish public to take control and make a difference.”

“It is great to see our members back up and running, albeit in rather strange circumstances,” said Tackle Your Feelings Campaign Manager Hannah McCormack who appeared last month in our Sport for Business Webinar on Mental Wellbeing.

“While rugby players are the lucky ones to be back in work, most did find the period without rugby moderately stressful, it is important to understand that our members are not immune to feeling this way and can adopt negative coping mechanisms just like anyone else. The vast majority of our members do utilise the support they receive from RPI, friends, family, teammates and managers as well as positive coping strategies and we hope CJ’s story along with the TYF Pro add on will encourage more of our members to do the same.”

Sport for Business Partners