Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte recently spoke out about his ongoing battles with depression and anxiety. On Wednesday afternoon, the Canucks put a video up on their YouTube channel about Motte and his struggles.
In the short video, Motte talks about learning to manage his depression and anxiety while also being able to remain a professional athlete. He also mentions how it was getting harder and harder to go to the rink every day, and that it was his girlfriend who finally convinced him he needed to talk to someone about what he was going through. Reading books, getting outside, going for dinner with friends, and any other type of social experiences are some of the main things Motte says he does in order to keep himself in good spirits.
One of the biggest reasons Motte has chosen to speak up about this issue is to let everyone out there who suffers in silence know that talking to someone really does help. Like many, Motte was afraid to express to people how he felt in fear that they would look at him differently. Since getting help however, Motte says life has been much easier for him.
“Since then, it's been good,” Motte explained. “My parents have been good. My brother is my only sibling, he's been good as well. Just having them know that there is something going on with me, and that there's nothing to worry about, but it is something that I deal with, does take weight off your shoulders.”
This is extremely brave of Motte to come out and announce for the world to hear. Sometimes hockey gets thought of as a tough person's game, where issues like this should be kept quiet. With Motte coming out and telling everyone it's okay not to be okay, it allows for many other individuals who may be struggling to also come out and express how they feel inside.
