Scotland Performances And Their Positive Impact On My Mental Health!

Date: 28th September 2022

I am not going to lie, this international week totally snuck up on me. I had totally forgotten Scotland had these three crunch Nations League ties to play in September. 

In a way, maybe that was a good thing as it meant I couldn’t worry too much about them. But the truth is that I’ve had too much going on in my life to remember we were actually playing. 

Issues at work and illness has seen my mental health suffer slightly. I simply had to concentrate on other things. 

Yet Scotland will always bring me back to football and I’m very thankful they did so this month. 

Seeing Scotland fight with passion and desire, pick up the right results and see the mood within the Tartan Army faithful reach new heights has really been just the tonic I’ve needed to refocus my life and think of happier times ahead. 

It has been and will continue to be very difficult for a lot of people as we hit this festive period. There’s a lot of change happening, financial strains are impacting every household and the media is full of doom and gloom. 

We all need something to hold onto. I have a wonderful family, a great group of friends and a mischievous puppy that all help me greatly. But the added bonus of football manages to always help me through too. 

We shouldn’t rely on results but the performances, the lead up to a game that we enjoy with fellow fans and the aftermath that we will also share with comrades in similar scarfs and shirts. 

Under Steve Clarke, the Tartan Army have started to enjoy their fair share of good times. He, along with his dedicated group of players, has brought a feel good factor back to our national team much like the women did in 2019. 

The night we managed to beat Israel at Hampden after going behind will stay with me forever. It was magical and brought 50 odd thousand people together in only the way football can!

I truly believe that our governments, the football authorities and even ourselves the fans struggle to comprehend how much football can help those in need. That’s why we really should have more games on free to air TV. We should offer more free tickets to those in need as it could make a real difference and we should reach out and make sure our fellow supporters are managing. 

If you are struggling with any mental health issues I urge you to speak to someone. Whether it be a friend, charity or a healthcare professional. You are not alone and talking really does help. I never reached that despair this time but I have previous experience of depression and realised then how much talking really does matter. 

By Scott Johnston (@TheFootyblognet)

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