Mental Health Awareness Week – My Story and How Fishing CAN Help YOU!

Happy Wednesday Everyone. We are halfway through the week and only a few more days till we can get back out on the bank for the weekend! Last week I talked about Rods, Reels and Alarms! Carp Fishing Essentials for Beginners. If you haven’t read that blog yet then you can do so here!

This weeks blog is going to be something a little different; Mental Health! As it is Mental Health Awareness Week I feel the need to tell you about my story and how fishing has helped me with my Mental Health. I have severly suffered with my Mental Health over the last 8 years since my brother Tom passed away at the age of 19 with a rare form of cancer called Sarcoma. I will talk about my story and how Fishing has helped me with recovering!

My Story

Throughout my childhood me, my brother and my dad were keen sportsman all participating in cricket and football for our local clubs. In between these we loved to go fishing and spend many funny nights on the bank. One funny story was we were fishing at The Belfry in Hailsham one cold and wet night when my brothers rod screamed off at 1am in the morning. A dazed Tom ran out of the bivvy with no shoes and fell down the steep bank just stopping himself from falling in the water. Covered in mud and soaking wet he lifted the rod to find there was no fish. Turns out he lifted the wrong rod as he smashed into his pod when falling and was unsure which it was. Much to his delight my Dad lifted his other rod and was in. Funny times and one that will stay with me for years!

When we grew older me and my brother started to fish with his friends on overnight socials at local lakes. One time me, my brother and 4 of his mates fished Barretts Park Farm Fishery in Heathfield. I had just purchased a cheap bivvy as it was the first bit of kit that I got in a bundle pack. Well all 6 of us hid away in this small square bivvy when the heavens opened. We quickly found out that my new bivvy was in fact not waterproof and we got soaked all night. We awoke the next morning to a river running through the tent which I can only describe as being as big as the Thames…. Slight exaggertion there!

In May 2014 my brother found a lump on his neck so my parents quickly booked him an appointment at the doctors. He was told everything was fine and that he had suffered with a virus which was in turn making his glands swollen. He was given antibiotics and sent home and was told that if things hadn’t improved in 2 weeks to return.

Things did not get better and he returned to the doctors. They told him that he should have tests and a biopsy on the said lump. Things were getting serious now so we decided to use our private health insurance to get the test results back quickly. Tom had 3 different tests under private healthcare before we even got a letter for his first appointment through the NHS. Crazy what money can buy!

We recieved the results from the tests… It was not good news!

Tom had a rare form of cancer called sarcoma which attacks your glands causing cancerous tumours in his neck. If you would like to know more about sarcoma then check out this link!

Tom underwent multiple waves of chemotherapy and radiation therapy at the Royal Marsden in Chelsea to reduce the size of the tumour with the aim for removing it via operation. What he had to go through I would never wish upon my greatest enemy. Deep down we could all see he was loosing his battle!

I returned from work one evening to find my dad looking rough and upset in our family home. I had been living by myself for weeks whilst my parents stayed with my brother in hospital. By the look on his face I could tell this was very bad news. He continued to tell me that there was nothing else they could do for Tom and it would be days or weeks before he passed. I was in shock and froze going to bed that night numb, no emotion or feelings.

I awoke the next day where I informed my work and moved up to the Royal Marsden in Chelsea to spend the last few days with my Brother. We had our ups and downs whilst there but there were moments I will never forget in my life!

On the 17th December 2014 our whole world came crashing down as my Brother Tom sadly passsed away after a short fight. This hit me like a ton of bricks and I hid my emotions for the sake of my parents as I felt I had a job to keep them going through life. And this is where my struggles with Mental Health started!

My Struggles

Throughout my brothers struggles I saw someone I love loose there life to a condition that no one could help. No matter what we or the hospital did the cancer took over his body and took his life. In my brain I couldn’t work out how a healthy young man like my brother had been taken by the big C and made me question my own health.

This is where I was diagnosed after persuasion that I suffered with Health Anxiety. Health Anxiety is described as:

Health anxiety is an obsessive and irrational worry about having a serious medical condition. It’s also called illness anxiety, and was formerly called hypochondria. This condition is marked by a person’s imagination of physical symptoms of illness.

Or in other cases, it’s a person’s misinterpretation of minor or normal body sensations as serious disease symptoms despite reassurance by medical professionals that they don’t have an illness.

Experts aren’t sure of the exact causes of health anxiety, but they think the following factors may be involved:

• You have a poor understanding of body sensations, diseases, or both of these things. You may think that a serious disease is causing your body’s sensations. This leads you to look for evidence that confirms that you actually have a serious disease.
• You have a family member or members who worried excessively about their health or your health.
• You’ve had past experiences dealing with real serious illness in childhood. So as an adult, the physical sensations you experience are frightening to you.

Health anxiety most often occurs in early or middle adulthood and can worsen with age. For older people, health anxiety may focus on a fear of developing memory problems. Other risk factors for health anxiety include:

• a stressful event or situation
• the possibility of a serious illness that turns out to not be serious
• being abused as a child
• having had a serious childhood illness or a parent with a serious illness
• having a worrying personality
• excessively checking your health on the internet

This is something that I am still working on and I still struggle with everyday life now. It’s not an easy fix but I am making strides in the right direction and on the path of recovery!

How Fishing Can Help Mental Health

During my battle fishing has really helped me in starting to get back to the real world and help me overcome my fears and beliefs. Here are 7 reasons as to why fishing is good for your mental health!

1. It’s Great For Your Physical Health

Did you know fishing is a great form of physical exercise! According to the World Health Organisation’s recent case study:

Due to the varying levels of physical exertion in angling, it is a pursuit that allows you to enjoy a more active outdoor lifestyle. Many people enjoy the great outdoors and getting up close to nature. This includes exploring many different waterways whilst taking in the local wildlife and scenery. Many UK waters have an abundance of fish species that you can pursue and marvel at their individual natural beauty and habitat.

The physical intensity from a day on the water will benefit your body and mind. You can enjoy setting up rods, repeat casting, playing fish, walking a shoreline or standing all day in a boat. Meaning you can set the physical intensity of your day based on your own physical fitness. So no matter your level of fitness you can burn those excess calories!

2. Physical Health Recovery 

While we now know angling can help increase our physical health. According to Angling Research, it can also have specific benefits for those recovering from ill-health. According to a recent Angling Research study: 

“A growing body of research has pointed to the positive effects of green environments on physical recovery”

So fishing can provide the environment required to help physical health recovery; by providing increased movement at a pace that suits you. The psychological benefits of being in green environments or the way we like to put it, being in the great outdoors, can help improve your attitude and provide a feel-good factor.

3. Increased Concentration

Fishing ‘fascinates’ attention, allowing anglers to concentrate for long periods of time effortlessly.  People who participate in angling become so absorbed in the sport that there is no room for other thoughts and that sort of singular focus serves as a mental break for other things that may be causing you frustration in the everyday fast pace of modern life.

4. Reduced Stress Levels

Fishing provides a form of relaxation by providing a distraction from everyday life and according to marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols:

“ being ‘near or on water’ for any amount of time lowers stress and anxiety, boosts our well-being and happiness and lowers heart and breathing rates, among other benefits”

Angling also provides moments of excitement with the unpredictability of catching which helps with concentration and helps you focus. which reduces the chances of boredom.

5. Increased Vitamin D

Escaping to the outdoors and feeling connected to nature can boost feelings of well-being and can improve your mood. It can also help top up your vitamin D. Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body, keeping your bones and teeth healthy. As well as boosting your immune system and has even been linked to fighting depression.

6. Improved Self-Esteem

Fishing like most hobbies requires a certain amount of skill to master different tactics and techniques over time. This form of active learning and development can provide a sense of purpose and motivation whilst boosting your self-esteem.

7. Social Engagement

According to Angling Research:

“The quality of people’s social relationships has been found to be one of the most robust predictors of well-being”

Angling is a great form of socialising with family or friends. The ability to pass down angling knowledge from grandfather to grandson or father to daughter. Or even, fishing in the company of close friends can provide a sense of connection or belonging that you require.

Even if you prefer to fish alone, you can still engage with angling communities through various digital platforms ensuring you stay connected and have a sense of belonging in a like-minded community.

Overview

Mental Health is at the highest peak due to the pandemic and more and more people are struggling with mental health. I have first hand experience of this and I am still working through my struggles. Fishing is helping me block out the boredom and provide me with the oppurtunity to get out the house and in the fresh air!

This is the reason I started this business because of my love of fishing and having to terminate my job due to my Mental Health Issues!

If you would like to ask anything about the issues I have raised in this blog or would like to talk about anything then please feel free to fill out the form below, email me or DM me on Instagram or Facebook. My inbox is always open and if any of my customers, readers, followers, passers by, ANYONE needs to talk then my inbox is always open!

I hope you will all take something from this heart felt blog.

Last message from me. Be NICE to EVERYONE as you don’t know what is going on behind the scenes and what people are struggling with. Reach out to your friends and be there for everyone. Even the most happiest of people can be struggling inside!

Peace out and catch you in the next blog!