Mitchell Johnson opens up on his battle with depression

The former Australia fast bowler says he continues to struggle with depression even after retiring from cricket.

Published : Oct 27, 2020 13:12 IST

Mitchell Johnson continued to play in T20 leagues till 2018 after having retired from Test cricket in 2015. - GETTY IMAGES
Mitchell Johnson continued to play in T20 leagues till 2018 after having retired from Test cricket in 2015. - GETTY IMAGES
lightbox-info

Mitchell Johnson continued to play in T20 leagues till 2018 after having retired from Test cricket in 2015. - GETTY IMAGES

Former Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has opened up on his battle with depression, saying he continues to struggle with his mental health even after retiring from all forms of cricket in 2018.

“Through my cricket career I actually just dealt with it (depression), it’s just about me now actually moving forward and taking it upon myself to be active with certain things, to keep my mind going,” Johnson said in Channel 7 ’s SAS Australia .

“I’ve found it tougher since retiring from cricket. All of a sudden, you’re not doing as much. You sort of lose your purpose a little bit,” he added.

Johnson, who took 313 wickets from 73 Tests, retired from Test cricket in 2015 but continued to play for three more years in the IPL and Big Bash.

'Transition'

“I struggle with, probably, confidence at times. I’m in that transition now where I’ve been out of playing cricket for about two years,” the 38-year-old said.

Asked if he had found retirement hard, Johnson replied: “Yeah plenty of times. I found out I’ve got depression but I think the depression was something I’ve had even from a younger age. It (cricket) sort of blocked things out in a way. It sort of hid the depression, but there was a lot of times where you would go back to your room, you’re away from family and you start to dwell on things.”

ALSO READ | End of COVID lockdown paves way for fans in Melbourne sports events

Johnson feels a cricketer’s lifestyle is at times responsible for such a condition.

“You have your moments where you struggle with it really bad and it can be tricky when you’ve got a lot of time to think about things,” he said.

“You’ve just got no control whatsoever and your mind starts playing those tricks on you, you start thinking of the worst,” the left-arm pacer added.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment