‘A bad spiral': Bailey Smith opens up on the panic attacks, mental health struggles that led him to seek help
Geelong star Bailey Smith has laid bare his struggles with anxiety and his efforts to restore his mental health after he fell into 'quite a bad spiral' during his recovery from a serious knee injury last year.
In a revealing and rare interview, the 24-year-old who has started his Cats career in brilliant form, opened up on the professional and personal support he received after falling to rock bottom and realising the need to 'sort my shit out'.
'I fell into quite a bad spiral where I had my knee [injury]. I did not have the mask of footy and all of that sort of stuff to really distract me from what was going on internally,' Smith said.
'When you have to sit with yourself and be your own source of entertainment, fulfillment [and] stimulation, that's when to look inward and realise, 'Shit I am pretty f----- up and I need to sort my shit out'.'
Smith was speaking on the Real Stuff podcast, which goes to air on Wednesday, as an ambassador for Stuff That Matters.
One of the most marketable stars in the game said he had struggled with his mental health since he was a teenager, but it had taken him a long time to seek the support he needed.
'I still see my psych to this day and worked on those new routines and new habits in terms of meditation and ways to look inward. It was a pretty tough time,' Smith said.
Smith has often been in the spotlight since his trade from the Western Bulldogs to the Cats, in part because of provocative comments in television interviews or on social media, but he said his public image did not make him immune from mental health issues. He was willing to talk about his experiences to de-stigmatise conversations about emotional wellbeing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
9 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Electric shocks, slips and mould: SafeWork serves notice to hospital
SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations. SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations. SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations. SafeWork has cracked down on the dangerous work environment at the Calvary Mater Hospital, ordering several issues to be fixed. Hunter New England Health has been issued with an improvement notice, which found it had failed to ensure reasonable health and safety due to risks of "slips, electric shock and inhalation of mould spores from rain water ingress and humidity". The notice, which also found the contractual building management system was inadequate, was served to HNEH as the owners of the building. The SafeWork order comes after NSW Health Minister Ryan Park met with the hospital's administrators to discuss a mould outbreak in the building's airconditioners, including in a ward with immunocompromised patients. The Newcastle Herald recently revealed SafeWork inspected the hospital in April, but missed the issues, including leaks that caused internal flooding and forced chemotherapy treatments to be cancelled. NSW Nurses and Midwives Association Calvary Mater branch secretary Camilla Smith said despite the improvement notice, the hospital's work environment remained dangerous to staff and patients. "We're glad to to see progress, but we'll be feeling a lot better when the problems are actually fixed," Ms Smith said. "We shouldn't have got here in the first place. We've been let down by the lack of transparency and staff don't trust the management of the building." The lack of action to fix the Mater's ongoing issues has brought the hospital's complicated management structure under scrutiny. The Mater is managed under a public-private partnership (PPP) by a consortium called Novacare, which is composed of four companies: Westpac Banking, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest. Novacare director James Ward said the company couldn't comment as it was "bound by confidentiality requirements", and any response would need approval from the state government. HNEH and the NSW Health Minister have repeatedly stated Novacare was responsible for the hospital's infrastructure and maintenance. "Minister Park and [Calvary Health Care CEO] Martin Bowles both agreed that it needs to be resolved as a matter of priority and urgency," a spokesperson for the Health Minister said. "Work is being undertaken to address the situation as quickly as possible." In March, the government passed Joe's Law to ban future PPPs for the state's acute hospitals after the death of a toddler at Northern Beaches Hospital. Mr Park has previously stated he does not support PPPs for future acute hospitals. Ms Smith said Mater's maintenance mess was more evidence PPPs were no longer fit for purpose. "You've got a private company trying to make a profit of managing an acute care hospital, so when problems arise and money needs to be spent, no one wants to foot the bill," she said. HNEH confirmed it had received the SafeWork notice and was working with its partners and contractors, including NovaCare, to determine appropriate remediations.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
Bulldogs star Rory Lobb opens up on overcoming bullying
As a boy, Rory Lobb would often pretend to be sick so he could stay home from school and avoid the bullies that tormented him. 'I had a lot of anxiety to go to school,' the AFL star recalls. 'Mum was always wondering what was wrong with me, but it was actually nothing. 'I'd literally sit at home all day and eat.' The Western Bulldogs swingman, who grew up in Perth, left school at 14 after verbal and physical harassment left him feeling'very depressed'. 'It was just really hard on me,' he said. Australia is in the grips of a mental health crisis, and people are struggling to know who to turn to, especially our younger generations. Can We Talk? is a News Corp awareness campaign, in partnership with Medibank, equipping Aussies with the skills needs to have the most important conversation of their life. Lobb worked as a painter, builder and machine operator, and was picked up by Greater Western Sydney in the 2013 draft. Later, he joined Fremantle before signing on with the Dogs ahead of the 2023 season. Now, he is encouraging people to speak up as part of News Corp's Can We Talk? campaign, in partnership with Medibank. Lobb urged others facing challenging times to share with loved ones, or a mental health professional. 'The more that you speak out about it and don't internalise … the better you'll be,' he said. 'In a way I'm subject to bullying these days on social media. 'Throughout my career I've found ways to combat that and speaking to people, having a really good relationship at home with my partner Lexi, and also having really good people around, I feel like has really helped me. 'Now, I don't really suffer from anxiety anymore.' He said his struggles as a youngster helped him build the resilience he carries now. The 32-year-old, who stands at more than 2m tall and has reinvented himself as a key defender in recent years,said he focused on being in the moment. 'I really enjoy going into work and hanging out with my teammates,' he said. 'The 'Doggies' (club) is just amazing for me … they're very supportive with everything I do.' Lobb has opened up to club psychologists and also has 'really good relationships' with his coaches. Known for his wild and ever-changing hairstyles, the cult figure said he brushed off negative comments on social media and focused on his inner circle. 'In the media I might be perceived as a little bit loud and out there, but I like my own time,' he said. 'I like to spend time with my family and friends.' Lobb is due to marry influencer fiancee Lexi Mary, who he said had been 'so amazing' for him, in October. Mary, who has more than 44,000 TikTok followers,also blocks out the noise from trolls online. 'I used to get a lot of negative comments, particularly when Rory was going through his trade saying that I was forcing him to move to a different club,' she said. 'That was a lot for me to take on. 'I feel like people just automatically think they know you and think they can comment on you and how you speak and your appearance. 'I just really try and focus on the people in my inner circle who do know me, and know within myself that I'm a kind person. 'I wouldn't let someone get to me who can hide behind a fake burner account.'
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A bad spiral': Bailey Smith opens up on the panic attacks, mental health struggles that led him to seek help
Geelong star Bailey Smith has laid bare his struggles with anxiety and his efforts to restore his mental health after he fell into 'quite a bad spiral' during his recovery from a serious knee injury last year. In a revealing and rare interview, the 24-year-old who has started his Cats career in brilliant form, opened up on the professional and personal support he received after falling to rock bottom and realising the need to 'sort my shit out'. 'I fell into quite a bad spiral where I had my knee [injury]. I did not have the mask of footy and all of that sort of stuff to really distract me from what was going on internally,' Smith said. 'When you have to sit with yourself and be your own source of entertainment, fulfillment [and] stimulation, that's when to look inward and realise, 'Shit I am pretty f----- up and I need to sort my shit out'.' Smith was speaking on the Real Stuff podcast, which goes to air on Wednesday, as an ambassador for Stuff That Matters. One of the most marketable stars in the game said he had struggled with his mental health since he was a teenager, but it had taken him a long time to seek the support he needed. 'I still see my psych to this day and worked on those new routines and new habits in terms of meditation and ways to look inward. It was a pretty tough time,' Smith said. Smith has often been in the spotlight since his trade from the Western Bulldogs to the Cats, in part because of provocative comments in television interviews or on social media, but he said his public image did not make him immune from mental health issues. He was willing to talk about his experiences to de-stigmatise conversations about emotional wellbeing.
