Themed conference “Football and Mental Health: Feel, Accept, Act”organized on Tuesday (25/4) by the EPO in collaboration with KSDEO “EDRA” and what was said by Demi Nikolaidisthe international referee Chrysa Kourobiliahim Christos Sotirakopouloshim Alexis Spyropoulos and others, were of great interest and related to the psychology of the football player when he leaves active action, as well as the management of success and failure.
THE Demis Nikolaidis stated among other things: “Psychology in sports can be as much as 50% of the athlete’s performance. The one with talent definitely stands out. I went to AEK when I was 22 and found myself with tremendous glory.
I had to manage all this success, which I didn’t know how to do. You find yourself with glory and a lot of money at any moment. But, you may have setbacks in your career, get injured or lose your place in the starting line-up. You have to be able to handle failure too.
We stop what we do when we are still children. Others start their careers when we finish them. We don’t know anything else to do, we only know football. And suddenly one day everything ends, we lose all our life, all meaning. It’s like mourning, like losing your own person. We are lost and not trained at all for this stuff.
Our career ends and we continue to live richly while the income is gone. And we risk losing our property. We gain weight, various things happen. Now there is knowledge. There are no more taboos. The phenomenon of depression when you finish your career is common.
The year I didn’t go to AEK even though I wanted to, i.e. the year before I finally went, I hadn’t scored a single goal in the first 7 matches. It had affected me a lot and I didn’t understand it. I played football because I wanted to make people happy. Then I became president. I didn’t miss football. Then I took up my other love, music, and did concerts. But later I lost the point. I gained weight, started drinking more.
I went through a period when I was looking for meaning in life. I needed help. Reading helped me, but I also went to a psychotherapist. The new kids have another problem, social media, which also needs management. On social media they deify you without loving you and curse you without hating you. In my time there was no social media. Every Sunday the footballer proves to himself and to others who he is. It doesn’t stop, it happens every Sunday. And one day it stops. We have to be ready for that.”
For her part, Chrysoula Kourobilia said the following: “Without the referee, there is no match. When everyone realizes this, the treatment will change. For me, it helps me psychologically when I’m on the pitch, because I love it so much. I had a hard time in quarantine. While I was going from one city to another around the world, for international matches, I suddenly got locked in my house. Now I’m very close to the exit and I’ve already worked on it. So I’m prepared for that. And for the next step.
In the fields there is a semi-wild, primitive state. There is a mob, swearing and threats. And you have to manage it. I used to play football too. And I never liked referees. Once I got into it, I loved it. I channel all my energy into becoming a better me, not into reading insults and threats. That’s why I don’t have social media.”
THE Christos Sotirakopoulos he brought the example of Christos Kostis who was the big star of his time and his career ended too early.
He referred to social media management and media training, while also talking about a survey in Great Britain in 2014, which revealed how many divorces there were a few years after the end of a footballer’s career, the high percentages of footballers who go bankrupt after their retirement, the health problems (arthritis) they were experiencing and their dependence on drugs.
THE Alexis Spyropoulos was mentioned in a Netflix sports documentary that highlighted that “There is a frightening loneliness to what athletes do. And a lot of insecurity: Will I be around next year? Am I as good as I need to be? Both are needed: To help yourself and to ask for help too”he said.
The benefits of football in mental health were finally discussed by Laura Dimitriou (Director of Strategic Planning and Development of EPO Football), John Bracho (Director General PSAPP), Alexandros Oikonomou (Psychologist, Msc Mental Health, Scientific Officer KSDEO EDRA) and Rodanthi Bondozis (Sociologist, Head of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Unit “Hippocrates II” of the organization KSDEO EDRA).
During the conference, a video was shown with him Tasso Bakaseta to talk about the issue of mental health and the benefits of football as a means of mental empowerment and well-being. The captain of the National Team said among other things:
“It’s very difficult to have to deal with mental health problems. You can’t be functional. You need to realize what you need to improve. It’s a difficult transition. Then you continue step by step and you get to the point of accepting you and managing yourself better. With the ball I learned to fight, to become competition. I learned about myself, who I am, what I need to improve. To manage my stress. My anger. You learn to control yourself.”
Source: Sport Fm
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