Prof. Andy’s Story
1. Give a short biography of yourself, particularly your occupation and experience in sport.
I am currently a Professor of Sport Psychology and Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Education, Health and Well-being where I oversee the research of 350 staff, 300 doctoral students across the disciplines of sport, psychology, education, nursing, social work, social care, and health. My research has been mainly in emotion regulation, looking at how we can regulate our emotions so that they help us achieve our goals, one of which can be a goal to be happy. I have worked at the University of Wolverhampton since 2000, and before that spent 12 years at Brunel University. I conduct consultancy for the Centre of Health and Human Performance, Harley Street, and am Health Professional Council Registered and Chartered by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
Before going into academia, my goal was to be a professional boxer. I boxed as an amateur for 10 years, having 50 contests, and winning several area titles. Boxing is a mentally demanding sport with a winning or nothing mind-set. There are also huge challenges, both physical and mental around losing weight. My decision to stop boxing came in dark moments as I tried to make Lightweight (<60kgs) for the national championships. Extreme strategies, training when hungry, feeling weak, hard sparring sessions; add to this, I was working as a builder. And so some days I would carry bricks up a ladder all day – thousands of bricks moved from a pile on the groups, to neat stacks on a scoff hold. And then stop work, having not eaten all day, go to a boxing show, weigh-in, then have a drink and some food, and expect to perform well. Boxing is highly pressurised – you see your opponent typically beforehand, and in the latter stages of my career, I was the main contest and we were known by other boxers, officials, and this brought about large expectations. This is not the place to be feeling exhausted, emotionally tired, but it was my experiences in the final few contests. And so in February 1988, I sat in a library, found the sports science course and decided that was a better choice than boxing.
2. What personal experiences with mental health do you have? Either with yourself, people in your field or friends.
I am aware of mental health and how I try to regulate it. Of course I have read the research, but what I mean here is that I actively monitor. What I say to clients is what I do myself. I get into negative mind-set, deeply dark moods, and very stressed. I set myself high standards which I know are not attainable but do not give myself much room for failure. I manage these processes. One way I manage my mood is exercise. I exercise in the mornings to manage mood, and train in the evening. The 2 activities might both involve running (or rowing) but their function is very different. My morning session is about setting up the day – I like to exercise as the sun rises. Important here is that I do not exercise hard in the morning. Most recently, and since I have had a knee injury, so running is painful, my wife and I go for a walk in the morning. We talk on the walk, and communicate much better than when competing against the online world; it works and the idea that I don’t have time is not one I entertain as I make the time.
3. How do you feel sport/fitness affects mental health?
There are many strategies that effect mental health. Sport/fitness can be very good. But we need to know why it works. There are lots of plausible candidate reasons. One reason is that it helps people a physical sense of self-worth, that you are competent. Work with ageing people brings home how physical deterioration in capacity effects mood, and that people who want to help their aging relative by fetching and carrying for them, could be having contra effect. The moment when you realise you are not strong enough to open the ‘pasta jar’ should be the moment you get determined to do it and regain strength. I noticed this happened to me when I broke my foot in 2014. On new year’s eve I ran a marathon, three days later I broke my foot via a loose stone, and went from being confident and capable to run 26.2 miles, to being in a plaster cast where getting from the sofa to the kitchen was challenging. I remember catching thoughts on how difficult everything was and anticipatory feelings for negative emotions about not being able to do what were simple physical tasks 5 days previously. Extremely negative – all of these thoughts and feelings played loudly in my head. If they occur non-consciously I can see how people drift into dark places as their physical self begins to deteriorate.
In terms of what exercise you need to do? A great deal of that answer depends on the goal. A simple message of do what you enjoy and understand how the exercise connects to your goal. If you exercise, for example, to lose weight, understand what that means. If your goal from sport is social, to meet people, to compete with people, then the calories used are less important.
4. What advice do you have for people in sport/fitness who struggle with mental health issues?
Develop mood regulation strategies; understand how your mood varies and what you can do to change your mood. Having a number of strategies that you know work is very useful. It’s worth remembering that for sports people, the goal of achieving high standards and not achieving these usually leads to negative mood.
However, don’t go alone– develop a network of support, with people who you can talk to; friends are very good and friends who are not connected to the sport. I work with many high profile sports people for whom this is particularly important as such people often invest all their self-esteem in the box labelled ‘I am a good athlete’ because in sport, we all lose. If your self-esteem is very closely tied to whether you win or lose, then losing can lead to dark moments. Friends offer a group who value you for the person you are and not the athlete.
Finally, speak to a sport psychologist. There are lots and come reasonably priced. You should value your mental health and so having an expert to check into is wise. A good sport psychologist will teach you skills, help you problem solve and develop and so you shouldn’t have to see that that often (keeps the costs down!!).
5. What advice do you wish you had been given before going through (or observing) the experiences you have?
I wished I had worked with a sport psychologist when I was boxing (younger). I wished I had done a sport science course when competing as what I have learned, I have applied to myself and helped guide others.
