"A big step for me was understanding that it's okay not to be okay. When I understood that I realised that it was okay to speak and open up"
Wednesday 20 May 2020 08:40, UK
Somerset and England spinner Dom Bess has urged young cricketers to talk about their mental health as he opened up about his own "struggles".
Talking during Mental Health Awareness Week, the 22-year-old - who has taken 11 wickets in four Tests for England - said he has suffered from anxiety since his school days.
Bess was speaking to former Somerset team-mate Marcus Trescothick, the Professional Cricketers' Trust Director, on Zoom, and says Trescothick's experiences with mental health have helped him deal with his own troubles.
"I think it's really important to talk about mental health," said Bess, one of 40 current players supported in 2019 by the Professional Cricketers' Trust.
"The first time I experienced anxiety was during my school exams and I had some real struggles. I never nipped it in the bud at school and then little triggers would make me really anxious from then on.
"Even little things like the weather. It is funny how little things like that can change the whole atmosphere within my mood.
"There's times where it's been really bad and I struggle to get out of bed and the motivation is not there anymore.
"A big step for me was understanding that it's okay not to be okay. When I understood that I realised that it was okay to speak and open up.
"I remember giving you [Trescothick] a hug and crying at the last game of the 2018 season at Trent Bridge and that felt really powerful and like a really big step within my mental health battle.
"I think that a lot of youngsters will be inspired by people like you and be more open with their mental health as a result."
On how he has been coping during the lockdown period, off-spinner Bess - who claimed his maiden England five-wicket haul in the Port Elizabeth Test against South Africa this winter - added: "I've actually been alright.
"I was very anxious about the situation, not knowing how long it could be, but getting that structure in has really helped me - running always gets me in a positive mindset.
"Getting going is always the hardest part for me, certainly in this lockdown.
"There's been little triggers but I'm fortunate enough to have two people in my household, my girlfriend and my housemate, to make sure that I'm all right and keep going with it."
Bess also says working with a psychologist who knows nothing about cricket - funded by the Professional Cricketers' Trust, a PCA-associated charity created to support the health and well-being of members and their immediate families - has been vital for him.
The Professional Cricketers' Trust is the associated charity of the PCA, created to support the lifelong health and wellbeing of PCA members and their immediate families when they need it most. Support offered by the Trust can range from emotional counselling to the provision of specialist medical equipment and more.
In 2019 alone, the Trust supported 123 PCA members and their immediate families in medical, hardship and mental health problems, including Bess.
