Virat Kohli Highlights Mental Health Issue

Table of Contents

The News

Virat Kohli:
- “I personally have experienced times when even in a room full of people who support and love me, I felt alone, and I am sure that this is a feeling that a lot of people can relate to“.
- “It is definitely a serious issue and as much as we try to be strong at all times, it can tear you apart.”
- It is important for athletes to rest and recover from the pressures of sport and reconnect with their “core self”. If you lose that connection, it wouldn’t take very long for other things to crumble around you.

According to World Health Organization (WHO)
- 5 per cent of the Indian population suffers from some form of mental disorder.
- Mental illnesses constitute one-sixth of all health-related disorders and India accounted for nearly 15% of the global mental, neurological and substance abuse disorder burden.
- India has less than 4,000 mental health professionals.
Note: This is all based on 2019 report. (Covid-19 impact not accounted for..!!)

Do we need more people like Virat Kohli in India who keep mental health issues at the fore front?

Valuable insights:
- We must learn to balance our positive and negative feelings. It is impossible for an individual to not have any negative feelings at all. Being aware of our feelings, processing them and expressing them can allow us to balance the negative feelings with positive ones and instill a sense of optimism in ourselves.
- And if we feel we can’t overcome the negativity, then it is time to seek professional help.