Think about this. One in four people suffer from mental illness. That’s not a bad day or a rough patch, that’s a real condition that needs to be treated and requires backing from friends, family and specialist support. Although many of them will not suffer from an illness, almost everyone experiences challenges with their mental health at some point. So what if you knew not only how to look after yourself, but how to recognise the signs when someone you care about is struggling or having a hard time? Those are some pretty good life skills that can make a difference and prevent someone from having some serious struggles. Promoting good mental health is important to me. I’m the Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead for the Welsh Rugby Players Association where we’ve started a Resilience for Rugby programme. I’ve also started my own business *Living Well with Lloyd Ashley* that you can find on Instagram at **[@LivingWellwithLloydAshley](https://www.instagram.com/livingwellwithlloydashley/).** It launched in March and, well, with the pandemic its purpose became even more meaningful. Uncertainty has the potential to be a killer when it comes to individuals mental health and eight months ago none of us knew what was coming or what to expect. The unknown creates anxiety for everyone. As rugby players, we suddenly had our routines taken away. Our safe space of the training ground that we rely on for social interaction and friendship also removed from our day-day lives. Clearly, everyone else was dealing with their own situations – people were worried about getting sick, their jobs and possibly losing loved ones. Speaking from a rugby perspective, early new year up to March can bring quite a lot of anxiety when guys are looking to renew contracts, especially when you hear about other players being signed up to the club. Often, stories appear in the media about players’ futures that are not true or are based on rumours.
