Leicester City and mental health at the moment.

[gerblod]

1 hour ago, Raj said:

My dad passed away on 3rd August, this is football. Some scouse tw@t said footballs more important  than life, it isnt , it really isnt.

Dont let anything as trivial as sport dictate your mental health as it's not in our hands and most of the people who's hands it is in are only bothere6 about the ££££

To lose ones father is a brutal blow. When it happened to me it hurt for months afterwards and I still think about him every day.

 

The Scouse tw@t you're referring to was Bill Shankly - a Scotsman from a small mining village in Lanarkshire (I believe).

For him football was his lifeblood. He was beloved by all the Liverpool fans to whom he established the club as the paramount in English football.

The quote was, perhaps, more tongue-in-cheek than serious - "some people think that football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that."

I once went to Oakwell on a miserable October Saturday afternoon to watch City draw 2-2 with Barnsley. Afterwards the police kept all we City fans back and escorted us away from the ground. I wasn't impressed by that and wondered  what drives fans to travel 100 miles to watch their team while being separated from the hostile home fans and made to wait before they could leave. For them it's the most important thing in their lives. So I wouldn't ever trivialise football (or any other obsession in people's lives). The things we like to think are paramount sometimes aren't.

 

[Mr Weller 2]

1 minute ago, Col city fan said:

I don’t agree with that entirely. I think people also post because social media is an addiction.

I really do believe that. Picking up a mobile phone, looking at FT and Facebook etc IS an addiction. 
And a hard one to break…

I agree but you can post about lots of things as opposed to Leicester City. The fact they post about Leicester shows they care.

[Matt]

It's not so much struggling with what's going on with our club, it's the fact i'm not excited by it anymore, the buzz has gone, I can deal with us being shit, i've watch us for years being shit but atleast I could get behind it, a siege mentality if you will (Yes, that was the underdog mentality, we're not seen so much the underdog now, although I dare say we'll be returning to it soon), what I can't deal with is being bored out of my mind with it all and that's where I can understand it effects people, it effects me mentally, that's on me as much as anything else but it all just seems very samey, very robotic, and it's caused me to be very robotic about it, not be bothered, lose interest, this isn't the game I fell in love with, my passion for it has gone.

 

The fact i'm not bothered is what's annoying.

 

I just hope there is a shift within the club, within the game and I can restore my interest, buzz and passion for it.

 

I just wanna see something to get behind and i'm afraid I can't with the nonsense ball being played by our club and the majority of other clubs, it's boring.

 

Edited 27 August 2022 by Matt

[gerblod]

30 minutes ago, Sampson said:

And people are saying that’s not healthy. Of course we acknowledge it. 
 

While football can give you escapism, ultimately making something the fulcrum point of your existence which you cannot control is not a healthy idea. People are suggesting looking for other hobbies or things you can control to make more important and try to ween yourself off emotional dependence on football- that’s not saying it’s easy and that it may even take needing professional help or talking to people, but I think it’s generally good advice.

And weaning oneself off any addiction is the path to emotional resilience and strength. Yet it's not the easiest task in life you'll ever choose to set yourself. I suspect FoxesTalk wouldn't exist if we were all truly individuated humans (in the Jungian sense). After all, we're both 'guilty' of contending and challenging povs presented by fellow posters.

[Guest glasgowfox]

I have first hand experience of severe mental health.  I think even the title of this post can be taken as an insult.  I couldnt even make a game for 2 years, and no not due to covid.  We all have our opinions but think this post is in poor taste and belittling to people that are very unwell.

[PAPA LAZAROU]

1 hour ago, Rusko187 said:

This is another good point, for all of your frustrations try to see from the perspective of someone else. There is a fanbase who think he’s an incompetent idiot and want him sacked, when you think about it, that is incredibly demoralising and hurtful… surely he’s feeling emotionally all over the place.

 

I’ve given him stick, I’ve called him to be sacked but I’ve eased up on this as it’s not right to attack a person when it’s evident it’s affecting them. Still want him gone mind.

Well, he's got at least a couple of million out being our manager already and will have a bumper payout if he gets the sack. Save your sympathy for someone who deserves it, you know the people who are struggling with gas and electric bills, mental and physical health problems, in mortgage arrears with the bailiffs rapping on the door. Did you feel the same about Pleat or Taylor? get some perspective, I'm sure Rodgers will survive the heartache just fine.

[davieG]

Leicester City can be delightful, surprising, uplifting, exciting but the one thing you can depend on with them is that they are not reliable. 

 

 

[Collymore]

Firstly thanks for everyone's responses, there's some excellent posts in here.

 

It's a reminder that things quickly get put into perspective when you hear the challenges many people are facing in their lives which quite frankly make worrying about the club seem silly. 

 

I can imagine to some the topic could be upsetting which of course was never my intention.

 

There's an amazing thread in general chat for mental health so I'm happy for this topic to be removed. 

[Rusko187]

41 minutes ago, PAPA LAZAROU said:

Well, he's got at least a couple of million out being our manager already and will have a bumper payout if he gets the sack. Save your sympathy for someone who deserves it, you know the people who are struggling with gas and electric bills, mental and physical health problems, in mortgage arrears with the bailiffs rapping on the door. Did you feel the same about Pleat or Taylor? get some perspective, I'm sure Rodgers will survive the heartache just fine.

Oh I absolutely have sympathy/empathy for everyone experiencing hardships and struggles in these trying times…more so than Brendan Rodgers.. but I also know how it feels to fail in a job and have a total sense of worthlessness. I know he will get a huge payout I’m not too concerned as he is going to be ok in life… but I’m not a cold person, I’m a people person and I care about others. 

[FoxyLeon]

As someone who has had counselling for Mental health related issues, the first thing they try to teach you is to recognise what it is you are doing to yourself to cause the problem. Is it due to certain behavioural patterns? The way you think? etc etc. So, if following the Club is causing you issues, then stop following it. If you're looking to try and find good news, and not finding any is causing you issues, then stop looking for the good news. 

Of course it potentially goes a lot deeper. If you're an individual that can be so heavily affected by something as insignificant as the success of a Football Club, to which you have no physical or financial stake, then it's likely you're needing to find a purpose....But I'd leave that kind of discussion to a Professional. 

[Guest Col city fan]

1 hour ago, Mr Weller 2 said:

I agree but you can post about lots of things as opposed to Leicester City. The fact they post about Leicester shows they care.

👍

[Corky]

I do wonder if the fact we have no control over what happens at the club is a factor. We are just observers, we can't influence the game, the manager, the signings, even things like kick-off times. You hear players  talk about being terrible watchers as they can't get directly involved. Fans are often similar.

 

In so many aspects of your life you can control of influence what occurs. Your football club is totally out of your hands.

[ALC Fox]

11 hours ago, Bourbon Fox said:

Twitter, Instagram and the rolling news cycle are massively culpable here.

 

I've found myself checking in for City news multiple times per day recently, and took the step today of deleting some apps.

 

The difference between now and 20 years ago is that the club had problems then, but once you'd talked it to boredom in the pub you had to wait for Match of the Day or a newspaper article for any further fuel to speculation, or news.

 

The issues we're facing will play out over weeks - we're ruminating on them hour to hour, and our technology is facilitating that to a level that isn't healthy.

 

Against the backdrop of a volatile world, uncertainty politically and economically, war, and the mass psychological effects of the last few years we don't stand a chance unless we disconnect.

 

The world's no more scary or unpredictable than it was in the 1970s - a fuel crisis caused by the US-backed overthrowing of a government, unemployment, riots and protests - it's our proximity to the stress at our fingertips that'll put us into the grave if we let it.

 

Maybe you could take a few days off after the game tomorrow? It'll all still be here when you get back.

[bmt]

1 hour ago, Collymore said:

Firstly thanks for everyone's responses, there's some excellent posts in here.

 

It's a reminder that things quickly get put into perspective when you hear the challenges many people are facing in their lives which quite frankly make worrying about the club seem silly. 

 

I can imagine to some the topic could be upsetting which of course was never my intention.

 

There's an amazing thread in general chat for mental health so I'm happy for this topic to be removed. 

I also suffer with mental health issues and I massively disagree with most people in the thread. People can't gatekeep mental health, yes objectively there's more important things than football but for some people that is their main source of joy etc. People have been depressed over far more trivial things in the past and will be in the future.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Log out of FT and Twitter, enjoy matchdays as a social occasion and not something completely dependent on the result. 

[Sampson]

10 minutes ago, bmt said:

I also suffer with mental health issues and I massively disagree with most people in the thread. People can't gatekeep mental health, yes objectively there's more important things than football but for some people that is their main source of joy etc. People have been depressed over far more trivial things in the past and will be in the future.

I don't think people are gatekeeping, I think people are understanding of the situation but advising to get help to try and ween the person's emotional dependency off of football and to find other outlets, perferably things you can control which are more healthy long-term to the OP. Of course football can be a main source of joy for a person, but that's also part of the problem, because it's something you can't control and when that gets to the point where it's not bringing you joy but in fact making you depressed then you need to find help to ween your emotional dependency off it and find other outlets. 

 

Exactly the same thing with any addiction, alcohol or drugs or fast food can be the main source of joy in a person's life too and there's nothing wrong with that if it's done in a healthy and moderate way, but when a person is saying that they feel those things are no longer giving them joy but making them depressed then they need to ween they're emotional dependency off of those things and be helped to find other outlets.

Edited 27 August 2022 by Sampson

[Kitchandro]

To be honest, I think football IS the only beacon of hope for some people in life. Sometimes that makes it a positive, other times a negative.

 

it was that way for a long time for me, certainly when I was a teenager and most of my 20s. It’s not actually as stupid as it sounds, or as some people make it sound. Your football club is supposed to be a central institution in your community that brings everyone together.

In Britain it has always been important for the average person and the working classes because we just don’t have those strong cultural ties or traditions that a lot of other countries have - we are quite anti-social and lacking in interpersonal warmth and there isn’t much we are proud of as a nation that we have in common and brings us together.

 

For blokes especially, football is the go-to conversation topic and event that brings them together. Look at the crowds for lower league teams compared to clubs at the same level in other countries, look at how full our pubs are on match day. 
 

This connection with people in your community is a huge part of mental health, and feeling part of something bigger than just the self is an emotional need as well.

 

Unfortunately, football is not that anymore in many ways, it has been sold out and we are now so removed from the club as an entity that you are just a consumer. This makes things like the result, the entertainment on the pitch and the atmosphere so much more important, because deep down people are already bitter that the experience is not what they want it to be. They have no control over anything, they are rarely if ever consulted on anything, they are disrespected by the club with ticket prices and things like colour changes, and if they are bored out their mind they have to listen to people at the club telling them they should be grateful. And let’s face it, the sport is corrupt. 

 

This is why I had to find other interests. I still get annoyed at the football sometimes, it’s been with me my entire life. But it’s no longer completely determines my mood for the week. I can’t agree with what it actually represents now, so I just accept it for what it is.
 

I do think football clubs, morally, have a duty to first and foremost to entertain their fans and function as a positive social vehicle. But sadly morals don’t drive anything in this type of society.

Edited 27 August 2022 by Kitchandro

[UHDrive]

I have mixed personality disorder. Its doesn't mean I'm retarded and I work temp in architecture (as much as I can with my condition)

 

For those that recommend switching off or choosing something different, it isn't always that easy. Often I hone in on football without realising it. It isn't a choice, it's a mental state. Often I get frustrated and take things personally (yes, with ft members!) and get bollovked by the hierarchy. 

 

Ultimately at the minute, yes it's more negative than positive for the team i adore and always have done. But that's the beauty of the journey ironically. 

[fox_up_north]

11 hours ago, Col city fan said:

I remember a group of us in the boozer (all 50 somethings) saying exactly that after we won the Prem. That’s it, it don’t get better than that for us City fans of 40 odd years. It has to go downhill now. And it has of course.

I'm in my 30s and I know relegation will happen again. Can't think of many teams who have come up and lasted over a decade, in the "modern era". Only Southampton and Newcastle spring to mind, but even they are legacy clubs. Villa demonstrated that you can go down after a bad run and struggle to return. 

 

If we make it to 15 years in the top flight, having won the league, FA Cup, community shield and maybe one more trophy, that would be absolutely incredible for a club our size. 

[BKLFox]

12 hours ago, honeybradger said:

All those that are saying there are bigger things in life to worry about are missing the point.

 

A lot of people use football as a way of temporarily forgetting about those bigger things and when the football is also making you miserable then a lot of people have no way of escaping from those bigger life problems and mental health issues.

You say about missing the point of OP but then seem to miss the point of the game itself.

 

3 results in a game of football but to use it as a way of getting away from the “bigger” things in life when only 1 of those results will give you the escapism your looking for is a mighty dangerous road to tread.

 

It smacks of addiction just 1 more game they will win today and all will be good in my world, just 1 more pint and I’ll sort myself out, just 1 more bet and It’ll clear my money issues.

 

To the individual Football surely is meant to be about the complete social experience not a do or die must win at all costs experience, if you don’t get that ( as in you don’t feel that social experience) you might as well just go into a casino put your days spend on Black or Red and pull the plaster off really quickly.

 

If the current football is adding to the misery then football isn’t the answer until the head is in a better place.

 

 

 

 

Edited 27 August 2022 by BKLFox

[honeybradger]

6 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

You say about missing the point of OP but then seem to miss the point of the game itself.

 

3 results in a game of football but to use it as a way of getting away from the “bigger” things in life when only 1 of those results will give you the escapism your looking for is a mighty dangerous road to tread.

 

It smacks of addiction just 1 more game they will win today and all will be good in my world, just 1 more pint and I’ll sort myself out, just 1 more bet and It’ll clear my money issues.

 

To the individual Football surely is meant to be about the complete social experience not a do or die must win at all costs experience, if you don’t get that ( as in you don’t feel that social experience) you might as well just go into a casino put your days spend on Black or Red and pull the plaster off really quickly.

 

If the current football is adding to the misery then football isn’t the answer until the head is in a better place.

 

 

 

 

I'm not talking about my own current situation, I'm talking from past experience why people might be more heavily affected by bad football than others, and that is because it is being used to put some other underlying problems to the back of the mind. 

 

Also from when I was in a similar way as to what you described, it's less about the individual results and more about the long term prospects of the club. When things aren't going so well in your own life it can feel good when you are attached to success in some way, and it's nice to imagine the club continuing its upward trend. When it comes to mental health problems it's rarely about what's happening in the current moment ie losing a single game, but more about what will happen in the future, as that allows some sort of escapism when things are going well and negativity when they're not.

 

I'm not saying this is a healthy way of approaching the game, I'm just saying it's the reality for a significant chunk of football supporters, and people saying that there are bigger problems to worry about than football are missing the point that the negativity around football usually comes from another (more serious) source.

[PAPA LAZAROU]

2 hours ago, Rusko187 said:

Oh I absolutely have sympathy/empathy for everyone experiencing hardships and struggles in these trying times…more so than Brendan Rodgers.. but I also know how it feels to fail in a job and have a total sense of worthlessness. I know he will get a huge payout I’m not too concerned as he is going to be ok in life… but I’m not a cold person, I’m a people person and I care about others. 

So do I. It's just that someone who earns millions and is crap at their job doesn't get one ounce of sympathy from me. Keep it real eh?

[Unabomber]

I used to let our results bother me but then I realised in the grand scheme of things it really doesn’t matter. Guy next to me at the KP is placid before KO but then goes absolutely mental and starts screaming etc during the game. He must be at least 60. Currently I find it quite hard to be bothered about the team, I think the style of football and the generally depressing feel around the place hasn’t helped. We need a fresh start to give us a spark. 
 

I get it must be tough for people who don’t have much of a live away from football and I was kinda like that a while back. Once you can let the result not dictate your mood, you can enjoy it more. Although that being said I have had some meltdowns like the Bournemouth away game the other year.

[5waller5]

I think there should be a distinction made between “mental health” and “emotion.

 

A loss / win / great performance / lacklustre performance / rubbish manager all affect my emotions. Feeling angry, disappointed, elated, happy, or just meh are natural human emotions and sport is a great outlet for those feelings.

 

Mental health is the ability to recognise those emotions are normal, and part of, but not all of life, that those emotions are temporary and will go away. Be replaced by different emotions soon.

 

Maybe the fact we’ve been living in Groundhog Day with very predictable outcomes, and the same cycle of emotions, is the reason that it’s hard to see them as temporary! 

[Foxxed]

Times aren’t good for many people. Whether it be cost of living or personal affairs.

 

Football is an important part of well-being. But right now you need to work hard to find positives.

 

But they are there, even if they aren’t in the headlines: academy players, loanees, the dark humour on here.

 

I’ve found It’s easy to think of the negative things and become dishearten.

 

It takes work to remind yourself of what’s good, and a certain amount of twisting of the mind.

 

Sometimes things are bad. Sometimes the situation does stink. And the only thing you personally can do us seek out and concentrate on even the smallest positives and work from there.