Latest news with #StuffThatMatters
Sydney Morning Herald
27-05-2025
- Health
- 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.
The Age
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Age
‘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.
