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Ben Stokes opens up on his mental health condition
By SMCS - Aug 23, 2022 3:00 pm
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England all-rounder Ben Stokes has recently opened up on his mental health issues which he dealt with in 2021, leading to a six-month break from the game. He referred to the situation as a ‘huge buildup of multiple things’ that eventually burst as well. He has also suffered a panic attack after The Hundred game against Trent Rockets last year. As a result, Stokes took an indefinite break from the game to attend to his mental health. The ECB praised him for showing courage to speak up about his well-being as well.

Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes during the Ahmedabad Test

Speaking to The Guardian, Ben Stokes recalled the circumstances and said that he didn’t know what happened and struggled to describe it. However, he admitted it was a long time coming as the ‘glass bottle’ that eventually smashed too.

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“I didn’t know what was happening,” said Ben Stokes. “The best way to explain it is, not a two-week thing but a huge buildup of multiple things over time. It’s like you’re a glass bottle, you keep putting things in there, and eventually over time, there’s no more room, and it smashes. That’s what happened in Nottingham – the bottle smashed. But it’s hard to remember what happened, I can’t really explain it.”

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Ben Stokes won the man-of-the-match award

The mental health break saw Ben Stokes miss the Test series against India on home soil and the T20 World Cup in the UAE. The veteran all-rounder returned for the Ashes series in Australia in December but struggled to do well with either bat or ball as the tourists lost 4-0.

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“It was a case of completely stepping away from sport. And speaking to a clinical psychologist, someone who could understand what I was feeling and tell me what my brain is doing, why it’s happening. I still speak to the doc, not as regularly, and I’m still taking medication every day. It’s an ongoing process,” Ben Stokes concluded.