When LA Clippers star Paul George opened up about his own mental health issues in 2020, he joined a short list of NBA players who have spoken out about their internal battles. At the time, George was battling these feelings. When that became impossible, he decided to open up and ask for help.
In an exclusive interview, George detailed his decision to open up about his mental health battle, revealing a new partnership to provide access to free mental health services for those in need.
“It kind of happened on its own,” George said of the 2020 opening. Handle everything internally. I got to the point of overflowing and I was lost in direction, I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t know the answer.I didn’t have the answer. I realized it wasn’t.Something was happening to me that was out of my control and I needed an answer.That’s where I was.Mental in that moment. ”
George, who has been to multiple therapists since deciding not to keep his mental battles to himself, is a huge proponent of therapy. It’s one of the reasons he decided to partner with BetterHelp on the service offering initiative.
BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy platform, working through partnerships with athletes such as Paul George, Venus Williams, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz to destigmatize mental health while providing free services to those in need. increase. To sign up for one month of free therapy, please visit: http://www.betterhelp.com/Paulgeorge.
When asked about this partnership, George said: .Everyone has been through something.Everyone has been through something.Everyone has a story and everyone is reacting to their story.What they do I wanted to be part of it.I like them.I think this is a big step and a big chapter in everyone’s life.Open up and express yourself , being able to answer questions they may have been afraid to ask. ”
With the partnership providing free therapy opportunities, George shared his experiences with therapy and how it helped him find answers he could not find on his own.
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“I’ve been through multiple therapist paths,” said George. “I have used a variety of therapists to help with life, relationships, focus, game preparation, etc. I have used them throughout the latter part of my career. They have been extremely helpful. So I “I’m a big proponent of having a therapist come in to help. It’s not a cliché to talk to someone. They can give you answers you haven’t necessarily seen, or answers you haven’t been able to come up with.” Because it really gives you the answer.It’s good to look at it another way.And in many cases it’s good to hear yourself talk about it.Admit where you have a problem. If you can – that’s exactly the biggest problem there is to admit that what is the problem. I think a lot of people struggle with that part alone.
A big reason people have trouble admitting they need help is the stigma surrounding mental health. This is often magnified when professional athletes come forward, as their contracts and stardom are seen as an impenetrable shield. Fighting to break this prejudice, Paul George wants people to know that athletes struggle too.
“I think people think money cures everything because we make a lot of money and we have a lot of money,” George said. I feel like people need to check us out more because of that.”
George elaborated on a unique struggle that hasn’t been considered much.George, who achieved financial stability through the NBA, is breaking people when he sees people he’s conceived are in the midst of a now-escaped struggle. It’s great to have the resources to support these people, but it comes with a lot of pressure. Bearing this weight is a shared experience among professional athletes, and George believes it’s not given much thought.
“I think it’s a big stereotype that athletes are good, athletes are superheroes. We go through a lot and put a bandaid on by going out and competing. It’s not like when you’re done, you go home and have 20,000 people yelling at you, yelling your name, and cheering you on. It’s really hard to stop that as an athlete.When you’re in a game, you worry about your game plan, you worry about the X’s and O’s, you worry about who you’re protecting, you worry about shooting. I worry about hitting, and when I’m not playing it can be hard because my mind wanders and gets distracted, and if I don’t know how to deal with it, it can be hard. “
Another athlete who recently opened up about mental health issues is Paul George’s teammate John Wall. Reading Wall’s story, George knew some as friends, others as new, and is happy that his teammates have pushed this fight forward.
“I’m glad he broke his silence and made his point and gave the world a little insight into what was going on and what he was dealing with and got help,” George said. “So many people can draw from his experience, and if John can do it, if John is strong enough to say ‘Hey, I need help,'” said Wall. If so, I can take comfort in knowing that I can do it too. plug. So I was just happy for him and I’m really glad he found help.”
Before this discussion ended, George shared a message of support for all those battling mental health battles.
“No matter what you’re going through, there’s always a bright side,” said George. Yes, it may be dark for you at the moment, but there is an opportunity there, and on the other side there is a positive feeling, and I think the first thing is to admit that you need help where the problem lies. I have no weakness to say I’m not 100% I’m not perfect There is no weakness If I could give you any advice it would be It means that no matter what you’re going through, you can get through it.
