Bigger than Football: Safe Space – Eagles Happy Place
Monday could make the argument for the worst day of the week.
After two days of releasing yourself from troubles, you find yourself with so much on your plate and not enough time to process it all; now, imagine if there were six Mondays in a seven day week.
The days get longer, the time for rest and relief is nowhere in sight, and there just seems to be so much going on at one time. Then take that uneasy feeling and multiply it by 10,000.
Feeling the heat a little, right?
Well, this very feeling is the same thing that has taken over the lives of approximately 40 million Americans ages 18 and older.
Yet, despite over 48,000 people a year falling victim to suicide and the disorder being recognized as the most common of the mental disorders, anxiety seems to be easily the least understood.
Both by the ones faced with the predicament and those on the outside looking in.
These are the words of one of the most inspirational men to ever don an Eagles uniform. Inspirational not only because of his play on the field but for the way he attacked his mental health issues head on.
Eagles guard Brandon Brooks, has missed his fair share of games due to the disorder during his time in both Houston and Philadelphia.
He has, however, become a face of sorts, bringing awareness of this fight to light.
“We’re supposed to be modern gladiators, man. We’re getting paid more than the rest of the public and we’re playing what … some people call it just a game. We’re not supposed to have any emotions. We’re supposed to just play, do what we’re told and things like that. At the end of the day, we’re people, we’re human beings, we go through the same things that everybody else goes through.”
To say there are more than a few players in the league that deal with their fair share of mental health problems would be an understatement. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently opened up about his battle during the quarantine (days before his brother’s death), stating how he struggled to process the situation at hand, even costing himself sleep in the process. Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst spoke on how he himself attempted suicide four years ago during his time at South Carolina. This ultimately leads to him starting the Hayden Hurst Foundation, focusing on mental health for children and adolescents. Even Lane Johnson has mentioned the prevalence; “It’s not foreign. It’s just something that’s not talked about. It’s a stigma where it’s seen as a weakness.
When you bring it to light, a lot of people in this world have it.
“What it is is that I have like an obsession with the game. It’s an unhealthy obsession right now and I’m working with team doctors to get everything straightened out and getting the help that I need and things like that. For me, it’s just I always want to be perfect in what I do and if I’m not perfect it’s not good enough, and sometimes that just really weighs on you. And I have to learn how to kind of chill out and understand it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to not be perfect.” – Brandon Brooks
This is a feeling that is all to familiar, wanting to prove you are worth the risk, that everything you’ve shown up to this point isn’t a fluke. And most importantly, conquering the biggest fear of all, failure. For anyone who understands this feeling know that this is a safe place and you are not alone in this fight. I know because I to battle depression and anxiety on what seems like a daily basis. Just as Brooks himself mentioned, to say that I chase perfection and dream of success at the highest level, would do my obsession with greatness no justice.
Constantly worrying, are you good enough? What can you do to be better? How exactly do you get to where you want to be?
Chasing that feeling of approval made every article bigger than the next until the pressure began to mount. Writing by day and working by night with my night shift at my job. Life became to seem like a repetitive cycle.
For a while, this left me in a really bad place, because of my unwillingness to accept how much this was affecting me and how I started going about my everyday life. Distancing myself from loved ones, seeing a daily shift in my moods, ruining my sleeping pattern, and being in denial any of this was actually happening in the first place. All of this for what? I was beginning to feel like I was running the same marathon and come away with the same result. It’s not like I felt myself progressing, no matter how much those around me said otherwise.
For me, Fatigued, frustrated, and the most upsetting part? I was just fine a second ago. What happened?
“You’ve got an issue or a problem, you’ve first got to admit it and accept it. I admit it, I accept it, I own it.” – Brandon Brooks
The first step to change is awareness, the second is acceptance. Understanding my unhealthy obsessions and the negative impacts they were having on my life I thought to get to the root of the issues. I had to remember exactly why I began doing this in the first place. It wasn’t for fame, fortune, or acceptance. It was strictly from the love of the Philadelphia Eagles. I began to notice my moods are certainly much better in the months of September through January. When most people suffer from seasonal depression during the winter, it seems mine had an allocated time; the off-season.
There is just something about those 16 weeks of the year we’re guaranteed to have Eagles football. The air is different, the food tastes better, and on Sundays, life seems to be, well normal again. At least when the Rocky theme starts playing, the fireworks go off, and the adrenaline is pumping.
The sound of Joe Buck yelling “Wentz. Goedert. Touchdown Philly.” or Al Michaels vociferously saying “Wentz is going to take a shot down field. And it’s caught by Fulgham for the touchdown!”
Like music to my ears. For the Eagles “we all we got, we all we need” was a locker room mantra, but for me, the saying took on a completely different meaning. I’m the same guy that gets up on Sundays matching my routine to those of the players.
I guess you can say I felt right at home; like I was in the friendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field.
“There’s nothing wrong with having an issue. The only thing wrong with it is if you don’t get the help because you want to hide it or because you’re ashamed. There’s nothing to be ashamed about.”
I’d be lying if I said the Eagles have completely fixed me (particularly because they tend to stress me out just as much). As we know anxiety isn’t something that just goes away. It just waits for the perfect time to strike again. I still have a tendency to rapidly stress over things out of my control. I still hardly ever sleep, but for some reason life just simplifies a little when there’s Eagles football.
Never feel like you’re in this fight alone. It’s okay to talk about it and let your voice be heard.
Everyone has an escape from the things in this world that make life difficult. You never know what anyone is going through, it’s a possibility that this could be happening to the person next to you or even your favorite player.
Hayden Hurst, Dak Prescott, Lane Johnson, and Brandon Brooks are just a few names on a long list.
We’re all humans before anything else.
Please if you are in need of immediate assistance or know someone who is, please dial 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-(800) 273-8255.
To learn more about depression and anxiety, please visit the National Institute of Mental Health‘s website. Most importantly, check on your friends and family, unlike the flu and many other sicknesses that have an effect on life that can be seen, the symptoms of anxiety aren’t always noticed.
Don’t be afraid to talk, and don’t be afraid to ask, keeping everyone safe is a job we have to do together.
Featured Image: Howard Smith/US Presswire
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Categorized:Eagles Unique Columns