Today is World Mental Health Day and PROGRESS Wrestling is showing their support by raising awareness and making mental health a global priority!
Mental health has been one of the biggest conversations in recent years, and it is a topic we take very seriously at PROGRESS Wrestling.
Speaking ahead of World Mental Health Day 2022, wrestler Tom Dawkins also known as Cara Noir, PROGRESS Wrestling host Simon Miller and co-owner Lee McAteer shared their thoughts and experiences with mental health, and urged anyone struggling to reach out, talk, and never feel alone.
Tom Dawkins said: “I think everyone struggles and it is really important to acknowledge the difficulties we go through. Personally, as a performer, I struggle with all sorts of issues from body dysmorphia to depression to anxiety and it plays a massive role in my life.
“The thing that helps me the most is talking about it and finding health professionals. I am a big advocate for therapy and I have been doing it for years. It has always helped me through really dark times.
“Please go and talk to someone and don’t suffer alone because there are people that genuinely want to help. I have been to some dark places and it is possible to climb out of them.
Simon Miller said: “When it comes to mental health it is something everyone has to deal with in some way. The crazy thing is you can break your arm and you just go and see a doctor to help, and we will all go through some form of mental health issue, big or small, and so many people think they can dismiss it by thinking they will be fine or they think they are being silly and don’t want to bother anybody.
“I get that but ultimately we have to talk to people and we have to open up to friends, family, doctors or whoever it may be. I understand why people may be worried it shows weakness but actually by talking about it, that shows real strength because it is so difficult to admit that you have a problem.
“It is very simple how we work, we treat people how we would expect to be treated. If someone needs an arm around their shoulder or support, we will always try and help them as best as we can.
“We want to make people aware they can talk to one another and ask for help. For example, if you look at what Paddy the Baddy said in UFC, it is okay to talk, it is really important we do that. Don’t suffer in silence.
“If we can make more people aware of World Mental Health Day and how important a subject it is, we can demonstrate that a problem shared can be a problem halved.”
