IRUPA Launches Tackle Your Feelings Campaign

IRUPA this week launched Tackle Your Feelings, a new mental wellbeing campaign that will see national and international rugby stars, including Munster’s Cathal Sheridan, come forward to tell their own personal story of the issues they have faced off the pitch.

Munster scrum-half Sheridan is an advocate for mental wellbeing and hopes that the Tackle Your Feelings campaign will break down stigma in this area. With his story, Cathal wants to highlight that you have to allow yourself to experience emotions in order to be able to deal with them effectively and the importance of being proactive in tackling your feelings.

Research conducted by IRUPA demonstrated that although 95% of Irish adults think it’s important for them to be proactive in taking care of their mental wellbeing, almost 1 in 4 (22%) are unaware or have low levels of awareness of the ways they deal with stress or life challenges.  Additionally, 71% feel that they would be treated differently if they had a mental health issue and other people knew about it. There is still a large proportion of us who do not tackle our feelings on a regular basis.  1 in 2 (53%) Irish adults have gone through a challenging life event and didn’t discuss their feelings with anyone.
 
This is significant because 1 in 4 Irish adults will experience mental illness at some point in our lives.  Tackle Your Feelings seeks to emphasise the importance of preventative measures in maintaining good mental wellbeing.  By asking people to be honest with themselves about how they are feeling and to take appropriate action, the campaign aims to encourage people to resolve emotional challenges before they escalate into a crisis.  The campaign website, www.tackleyourfeelings.com, will host a number of practical resources to help people develop their emotional self-awareness and proactively work on their mental and emotional wellbeing. 

Speaking at the launch, Omar Hassanein, CEO, IRUPA said, “Our campaign is intended to be disruptive in challenging people to tackle their feelings on a daily basis.  Professional rugby players are seen as strong, robust and are known for how they protect and manage their physical health but rugby, like everything in life, requires both physical and mental strength. We want to show people that vulnerability doesn’t need to be considered a weakness. Rugby players need to work on their mental wellbeing just like everybody else. We hope that Ireland’s rugby players, through the Tackle Your Feelings campaign, can play a role in encouraging people in Ireland to be more proactive and comfortable in looking after their mental wellbeing given it is such a key component in the health of an individual.  I’d ask everyone to visit www.tackleyourfeelings.com.” 
  
Dr Eddie Murphy, Clinical Psychologist and Tackle Your Feelings advisor said, “Tackle Your Feelings is a really important campaign as it challenges us to consider how we are feeling on a daily basis so as to prevent a more serious mental health issue from developing.  Just like physical fitness, mental fitness can also be enhanced through practical training. The resources available at tackleyourfeelings.com can help you do this.”
 
Visit tackleyourfeelings.com to find out more.